


We Used to Be in Love

by courtroses



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: Angst, College AU, Exes to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, Marvin and Whizzer broke up in college, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, Old Friends, Post-Break Up, Slow Burn, Slow Dancing, That's in Hawaii, destination wedding AU, now they're both attending Cordelia and Charlotte's wedding, of course
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-12-13 05:11:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11752740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/courtroses/pseuds/courtroses
Summary: “Marvin, please come to the wedding.” Cordelia says.And even though he really doesn’t want to go a wedding his old college friends will be attending, no doubt poised to shame him for going off the radar for five years, as well as his ex-boyfriend-hookup-friend with benefits or whatever the hell they were, Marvin finds himself saying, “I will, I promise.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I'm finally writing a modern AU for Falsettos, and I couldn't be more excited. It's a little more lighthearted than what I usually write, but there will be some sad parts lol. Enjoy!
> 
> P.S. the title is inspired by the song, "We Used to Be in Love" by Clean Cut Kid. :)

Marvin feels a slight frown forming at the corners of his mouth. His hand has frozen, now stuck in the position of scrolling through his facebook feed. Truth be told, he only has the social media account because of the hours of begging Cordelia put him through during the last semester of senior year in college, five years ago.

“Please, Marv?” Cordelia said, placing her hands on Marvin’s knee. She tilts her head, frowning, “We’re graduating soon, and I don’t want to lose track of you once you land that job down in Philly.”

His stern, refusing look softened. They were all going to be heading their own separate ways in a few months. It couldn’t hurt to set up an account to keep in touch. “Alright.” He relented. Cordelia smiled widely, jumping up and grabbing Marvin’s phone off of his desk, “But,” he said, “You have to make it. I don’t how to work that website.”

“Of course!” Cordelia already unlocked his phone with her fingertips and began typing in his information. Marvin smiled lightly at her. He was gonna miss these guys.

Cordelia tapped the phone a few times, “We need a profile picture for you,” She paused, “And you have like, no pictures of yourself in here.” She shook her head, disappointed.

Then, Marvin’s dorm room door swung open, “Don’t worry babe, I’ve got hundreds.” The tall man smirked and blew a kiss at Marvin, who rolled his eyes, secretly grinning. He stalked over to Cordelia, taking his own phone out of his pocket and-

And now Marvin is staring at Cordelia’s new post, shared only 10 minutes ago. It’s a picture of her and Charlotte in a dimly lit restaurant, Cordelia leaning into a beaming Charlotte with a glowing smile on her face, holding up her left hand. And, on that left hand, a ring. The caption reads “We’re getting married!!!!!!!!!”

Marvin reads the comments, all varying degrees of “Congratulations!” and “I love you two!”. He swallows before liking the picture and commenting a polite, “Congratulations, wish you two the very best.” And closes the app. 

The bed creaks under him as he sets his phone on the bedside table. He turns off the lamp, fluorescent glow leaving the room, replaced by pitch black darkness only disrupted by the soft glow of the moon through the window’s sheer curtains. Marvin settles back into his covers and keeps his eyes trained on the ceiling.

He doesn’t expect much else after this. He doesn’t expect an invitation. Hell, Marvin wasn’t even invited to Trina and Mendel’s wedding two years ago. Marvin expects just a customary ‘thank you!’ from Cordelia and maybe Charlotte. And that’s it.

* * *

Marvin was an idiot for thinking that was it. 

Because, now, six months later, he’s sitting across the engaged blonde woman at a small table in a coffee shop in New York. And it is too damn early in the morning on a Sunday for this.

“I’m so glad you came, Marv.” Cordelia smiles, reaching her hand across the table and grasping Marvin’s. He squeezes back, noticing the way her face has matured since the last time he saw her.

Her face has thinned out, losing all the baby fat that still remained during college. She has since cut her hair, long blonde locks gone and replaced by a shorter length, curls emerging.

Marvin thinks he looks the same as he did senior year, just tired now.

“Me too.” He says. And he does mean it. He’s missed Cordelia.

She smiles wider now, and her eyes scrunch up like it does when she’s about to reveal a secret or tell a story, “What would you say to being one of our groomsmen?”

Marvin’s brows raise, and he sits back in his chair, “Wow,” he breathes out, laughing quietly. He lifts his free hand and rubs the back of his neck, “Um,” he says, “Yeah, yeah that’d be great, thank you.” He says, watching Cordelia’s face light up.

“Great!” Cordelia says, squeezing Marvin’s hand and scooting her body to the edge of her seat, stomach touching the edge of the table, “I’ll have the official,” she motions air quotes with her fingers at ‘official’, “invitation sent to you in a week and then we can plan fittings and the bachelorettes party with the rest of the wedding party!”

“Wait,” Marvin says, blinking, “Who else is in the wedding party?” He asks. He would be lying if he said he didn’t fear the answer.

“Oh!” She shakes her head, “I haven’t formally invited all of them yet, but our wedding party has you, Trina, Mendel, a guy I hired at my catering start up a few months ago, Charlotte’s sister is our maid of honor.” Marvin feels himself imperceptibly sigh in relief at the list until Cordelia continues.

“And Whizzer is my best man.” 

Marvin feels his chest twist at the name. He hadn’t heard or allowed himself to think of that name in years. He always failed, though, the name crossing his mind at least a few times a week when he wasn’t neck deep in work. It was a tortuous, never ending routine. 

“Look,” Cordelia says, looking down at the table, “I know you guys have a past but,” she shrugs, “I need you to come, I need you all to come.” She looks up at Marvin now, blue eyes bright now, “I want to get the group together. Like how it was before.”

“That’s never gonna happen,” Marvin says to the ‘how it was before’ comment, extracting his hand from hers and crossing his arms. 

Her face drops, “I know, but Marvin,” she smiles slightly, “Wouldn’t it be nice to just see each other again? I mean,” she gestures at Marvin with her left hand, ring glinting, “I haven’t seen you since college. No one has.”

“We all moved.”

“Not all of us.” She shakes her head, “Just you. We haven’t been the closest of friends since then, but Mendel and Trina still live in New York.”

Marvin swallows and says in a nasty tone he doesn’t mean to inflict, “What about him?”

“Whizzer lives in L.A. nowadays.” 

He’s almost shocked, but remembers the speeches the other man would give him, regaling him of the tale when he visited California during the summer of his sophomore year. Remembers fingers intertwined, the two of them lying on the carpeted floor of Marvin’s dorm room together. Remembers the chilly draft through the window, a telling sign of an impending autumn.

Marvin nods, “That’s good for him.” He says stiffly.

“Marvin, please come to the wedding.” Cordelia says.

And even though he really doesn’t want to go a wedding his old college friends will be attending, no doubt poised to shame him for going off the radar for five years, as well as his ex-boyfriend-hookup-friend with benefits or whatever the hell they were, Marvin finds himself saying, “I will, I promise.”

* * *

A week later, Marvin receives the invitation. He turns it over in his hand, balking at the location.

Honolulu, Hawaii.

Of course Cordelia would marry Charlotte in Hawaii. In June. Which is in two months.

Marvin sighs heavily and walks over to his desk, trying to figure out how to fit a week in Hawaii around his work hours. If he works late every day for the month before the wedding, he can just fit in a week. Great. Marvin always was a workaholic, so maybe he could survive this. Maybe.

“You work too much.” Whizzer said, dramatically stretching himself on Marvin’s small bunk bed. 

Marvin huffed out a laugh and continued pencilling in notes in his textbook. 

“I mean, there’s a party tonight.” Whizzer said, “And I wanna take you as my arm candy.” He purred, climbing off the bed and wrapping his arms around Marvin, torso pressing into Marvin’s back. 

“Please.” Marvin laughed. “If anyone’s arm candy, it’s you.”

“Thanks, babe.” Whizzer replied, mouthing at Marvin’s neck.

Marvin tried to swat him away with his pencil, and failing, “You go ahead and take Mendel to the party, he’s a great wingman.” He paused, “Or so he tells me.”

“Mendel hates me!” Whizzer protested against Marvin’s throat. “I broke his darling Trina’s heart after she caught us fucking-”

“Okay, Whizzer, then take Char!”

Whizzer frowned and stood up. “Fine,” he said, clapping his hand on Marvin’s shoulder, “I guess I’ll just go all on my lonesome to this party and if a hot frat boy grabs my ass, I can’t guarantee I’ll stop him.” 

Marvin put his pencil down and sighed angrily. “Let me get my jacket.” He said, glaring at Whizzer, who smiled innocently back.

Marvin, grabbing the wedding invitation, picks up his pencil and checks the box ‘Will Be Attending’ as well as ‘No Plus One’.

* * *

As it turns out, they only need to attend one suit fitting as the groomsmen party is only comprised of Marvin, Mendel, the catering hiree, who Marvin has learned is named Danny, and Whizzer.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

Marvin stands outside of the suit boutique, hands dug deep in his pant pockets. It’s a small shop, white and blue detailing on the wooden sign above the doors: ‘Elegant Attire’. He glances at the large window in the front of the shop, seeing Cordelia and Charlotte on one of the couches, both holding glasses of champagne, conversing with the tailor. The man sitting on another couch next to them, Danny, Marvin assumes, holds his own glass of champagne and listens to the conversation, nodding every now and again.

Whizzer probably didn’t fly up from California for a fitting for a wedding that was a month away. Marvin doesn’t know why that makes his shoulders fall for a second before he shakes his head quickly and walks up to the door.

He pushes open the doors of the boutique.

“Marvin!” Cordelia exclaims when she sees him enter, jumping up from the couch. Charlotte follows her as the blonde walks to Marvin, setting her champagne glass down on the table.

Cordelia hugs Marvin, who reciprocates, “I’m so glad you came up.” She says next to his ear, a smile in her voice. 

“Me too.” He says, pulling back. Then, Charlotte comes up to him, small grin on her face.

“Hey, Marvin.” She says, stepping forward for a hug. He smiles and hugs her. They hold onto each other for a tender moment.

“Hey, Char.” He says quietly, pressing his cheek to hers. While Marvin had talked to Cordelia the most during their years in college, he and Charlotte always had a quiet, understanding friendship that never had to be discussed. And god, he missed her.

They pull apart and Charlotte looks Marvin up and down, “You look good.” She smiles, patting him on the shoulder a few times.

“Thanks, you too.” He says, smiling back.

The man at the couch jogs up to Marvin and holds out his hand, which Marvin shakes.

“Hey, man. I’m Danny.” He says, giving Marvin a quick grin. He looks about Marvin’s age, but more rugged. Less clean cut. His hair is tied up in a bun at the top of his head, strands of hair falling out of it, around his face.

“Marvin.” He responds.

Danny’s face turns from polite to understanding now, “Oh, you’re the best man’s ex?”

Marvin hears Cordelia cough suddenly and whips his head to her. ‘Really?’ he communicates with his eyes to her, flush creeping up his neck at the title that has been bestowed upon him by manbun Danny. She shrugs helplessly at him. God.

“Yup.” He replies. “That’s me.”

After a few awkward seconds, they begin to walk to the couches until the doors open behind them.

“Sorry we’re late! We came on the same metro and it was delayed,” Mendel raises his hands up in surrender at Cordelia’s sharp look.

“I mean, what else is new?” Whizzer laughs, walking in beside Mendel.

Whizzer.

The door closes shut behind the two men. Cordelia and Charlotte move to hug the newcomers. As Cordelia hugs Whizzer, his eyes move from Cordelia’s shoulders and looks around. And his eyes land on Marvin, who sucks in a sharp breath.

The taller man slowly extracts himself from Cordelia’s arms, who tilts her head, confused, until she sees what he’s looking at. She steps away, wringing her hands nervously.

Marvin stays rooted in his spot as Whizzer walks over to him, slowly. They maintain eye contact. Whizzer’s face pensive, and Marvin’s nervous, no matter how hard he tries to make it blank. Marvin notices the rest of the group engaging in small talk, but peeking over at them every few moments, waiting to see how their reunion would play out.

Whizzer stops in front of Marvin, a foot away.

“Hey.” He says.

Marvin nods once, “Hey.”

“You look good.” Whizzer says.

Marvin thinks back to Charlotte and responds, “You too.” 

And he does. Whizzer looks damn good. With his tight, green button up shirt and brown pants. He certainly didn’t stop working out after college. His arms stretch the thin material of his shirt, and Marvin tries not to stare.

It makes Marvin self conscious of the hoodie and slacks he’s in.

Whizzer runs a hand through his hair and shrugs, “This is weird, right?”

Marvin laughs before he can stop it, “Yeah,” he says, “It is.” 

The taller man smiles at Marvin and holds his hand out, “Friends?” 

He looks at the outreached hand for a moment, willing himself to forget about the messy end of their relationship-the hate in Whizzer’s eyes that juxtapose the kindness in present Whizzer’s eyes, and then shakes it, “Friends.”

Once Marvin grabs Whizzer’s hand, Whizzer pulls him in for a hug. Marvin goes still for a moment until he eventually relents and wraps his arms around Whizzer, leaning against him. It feels like those five years apart never existed, that they’re still in college and deeply infatuated with another.

They stand there for a few moments, holding each other tightly. Marvin breathes in, comforted by the familiar smell of Whizzer he had missed for years. Pine, cotton, and comfort. God, he missed it so much, holding onto Whizzer’s shirt he had left in Marvin’s dorm room before their split.

Marvin pulls away, swallowing. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you too, babe.” Whizzer says with a joking lilt to his voice, knowing how much Marvin hated that pet name when they were younger. Yet, this time, it makes Marvin’s heart tug.

And as Marvin opens his mouth to reprimand the man, he sees the group in the corner of his eye and closes his mouth. Whizzer raises his eyebrows. Marvin glares back at the man.

“Oh, don’t start.” Marvin mutters, but is unable to bite back his smile.

Whizzer smirks and walks over to the couch, “So, what’re we trying on?”

Cordelia perks up and walks over to the tailor, who has been pulling out the suits during the entire ordeal. The two of them hand suits to each man in the room and leads them to the dressing area, behind a wooden partition. Mirrors surround the occupants.

Mendel walks over to Marvin, suit in hand. “Grey, huh?” He jokes, lifting his suit.

Marvin chuckles, “Yeah, I suppose so.” He replies, looking at his own suit. He sees Whizzer taking off his shirt already across the room. 

“You’d think Cordelia would go with something more,” Mendel begins to take the suit off of its hanger, “Colorful.”

Now Marvin laughs, shedding his coat off. The two men change in comfortable silence. Marvin had never been particularly close with Mendel, probably because Mendel was the one to take Marvin’s girlfriend from him. One could point out Marvin had been hooking up with Whizzer while they were together, but it’s all perspective, Marvin guesses.

“It’s good to have you back, man.” Mendel says, buttoning his shirt up. “We’ve been missing your jackassery lately.” He laughs.

“Are we talking asses? Cause’ that is certainly a conversation I could get into.” Whizzer walks to the two men, already fully dressed in his grey suit and blue tie. 

Marvin ignores the way his stomach swoops at the sight of the man and laughs, “Alright, Whizzer.”

“No,” Mendel says, pulling on the suit jacket, a grin on his face, “We were just discussing how much of a jackass Marvin here was back in the day.”

Whizzer lights up like a fucking Christmas tree. “Oh, we are?” He puts his hands in his suit pockets, eyes twinkling mischievously.

“Guys-” Marvin pleads, putting his arms into his suit jacket.

“I mean, remember his long, contrived speeches about the corruption of Shell at Charlotte’s birthday party?” Mendel asks.

Whizzer groans, “Oh my god.” He laughs, head thrown back. He mimicks Marvin now, “They are the bane of the gas industry! If I were a part of that company, I would fire every single one of those corporate schmucks!” Then, he turns to Marvin, “Oh Marvin? Aren’t you corporate, now?” But, even though his expression is joking, his voice turns sour at the mention of Marvin’s profession.

Marvin ignores the sharp edge of Whizzer’s words and replies, “Ha-ha, let’s all gang up on Marvin.” He points at Whizzer, “But let’s not forget your stint on protesting the hairspray industry just because one defective bottle glued a part of your hair together and you had to cut it off.”

Whizzer looks impressed. “Touche.” He says.

Cordelia calls Mendel over to give him his tie. Marvin moves to get his, but Whizzer stops him with a hand on his shoulder. Marvin looks at Whizzer questioningly, and Whizzer holds up a blue tie.

“I got yours for you.”

Marvin looks away from Whizzer’s soft expression and grabs the tie, “Thanks.”

Whizzer stops him again, hands on Marvin’s holding the tie. “Let me help.” He says. Then smirks, “I know you still can’t tie a tie for your life.”

“Sadly, you are right.” Marvin acquiesces and faces Whizzer, standing straight for him.

Whizzer smiles, looping the tie around Marvin’s neck. “Aren’t I always?”

Marvin laughs, then stops when Whizzer steps forward, focusing on the knot. He’s no more than a few inches away now. Marvin can see the slight pink of Whizzer’s tongue as it pokes out from between his teeth, focusing on the task at hand. He averts his eyes before he can properly stare.

“You are helpless.” Marvin heard behind him. He turned around and saw Whizzer leaning against his dorm room’s door frame.

Marvin shook his head, “What do you mean, Whizzer.” He didn’t phrase it as a question. He grinned at Whizzer, though.

“Your tie.” Whizzer began, walking to Marvin. “It’s atrocious, what is that knot?”

“A windsor?” Marvin said, uncertain.

Whizzer raised his eyebrows, already untying Marvin’s tie and working on fixing it. 

Marvin grinned at the man working on his tie. He put his hand in Whizzer’s hair, running his fingers through the soft strands.

“So, what’s the occasion?” Whizzer asked, eyes fluttering slightly at Marvin’s hand’s movements on his head.

“Another date with Trina.”

Whizzer pouted, “I’m so sorry.”

Marvin laughed loudly, “Don’t be an asshole.” He said, tugging on Whizzer’s hair, causing the man to let go of the tie and moan quietly.

His eyes looked at Marvin, darker than their usual shade of brown. “I’ll see you when you get back then, babe.” He responded, smirking.

“Yeah, you will.” Marvin pulled Whizzer to him and kissed him. Whizzer forgot about the tie and grabbed Marvin by his hips, licking into Marvin’s mouth.

Marvin was 20 minutes late to his and Trina’s date.

Beyond the ambient chatter of the dressing room and the soft jazz music playing in the building, Marvin can only hear his and Whizzer’s breaths. They both breathe long and slow, deliberately calm. Whizzer pulls the tie into place and grins at his work, stepping back. He holds onto Marvin’s tie, though, running his fingers along it, making eye contact with him.

“You really were an ass back then,” Whizzer smiles. It feels nostalgic, as if he was recalling the same memory as Marvin. 

“You were an ass, too.” Marvin says, grinning at Whizzer. 

A silent moment passes, Whizzer looking thoughtful. The man tightens his hand around Marvin’s tie unthinkingly, and his eyes look down for a moment. His smile disappears, leaving behind a blank face. “Is that why you left me?”

Marvin’s shoulders tense, “Whizzer.” He says.

The corners of Whizzer’s mouth turn up slightly. He shakes his head. He looks like he regrets his words, and Marvin feels an overwhelming sense of guilt threaten to crash over him like a wave on the ocean’s surface. He tries to hold it at bay.

Marvin tries to get him to look up, putting a hand on the other’s shoulder.

Then, Cordelia calls them over, demanding to see the outfits.

Whizzer lets go of Marvin’s tie and stands up straight, smiling sadly at Marvin for a moment until it snaps into his trademark smirking smile, “Another time, babe.” He says to Marvin, and walks to Cordelia.

Marvin follows him to Cordelia and Charlotte.

He stands back, watching Whizzer adjust his suit lapels and push his shoulders back, modeling his suit to the women, slowly turning, making the women laugh at his theatrics. He thinks back to the other man’s words. Is that why you left me?

Whizzer poses with Mendel and Danny, all pulling faux couture poses. The fiancees clap and cheer for them. Then, Cordelia spots Marvin off to the side.

“Marvin, get over here!” Cordelia waves him over.

And when Whizzer throws his arm over Marvin’s shoulders, bending his leg to drape over Marvin’s hip in a pose he once saw in a magazine, he thinks that agreeing to come to this wedding was an absolutely terrible idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoyed the beginning to this fic :) Please leave kudos and let me know what you think in the comments; they're literally my favorite things to receive <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Airplane rides, hotel rooms, and a bonfire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being a little long. I'm very fond of it, though. I hope you are too. <3

Marvin looks up from his paperwork at the digital clock. 1:18 A.M. He sighs and sits back in his chair, putting down his pencil. It’s the week before the wedding, and Marvin had been staying late at the office for the past few days to carve out enough free time for the vacation. This is pretty late, though.

And, it is pretty goddamn late for a text to buzz on his personal phone. Marvin wracks his brain for a person who would message him past midnight on a weekday. His mind travels to places he does not want to think about, so he decides to pull his phone out of his pocket.

Cordelia: Hey! Just booked your flight so it corresponds with the other NYC airport guests. Flying buddies! 

The text is followed by a string of pink hearts and a link to American Airlines. He opens the link, examining his seat and class. Business. He could deal with that.

“You’re really gonna make me fly business class?” Whizzer groaned, leaning into Charlotte at the bar’s booth, a martini glass in his hand. The young woman chuckled and rubbed his back, consoling the wasted man.

Marvin laughed, raising his beer to Whizzer, “I am not spending thousands on you for every damn flight.” He shrugged, “Trust me, you are not worth that much.” He said with a lopsided smile, egging Whizzer on, who stood up.

Whizzer snorted, “Babe, I am worth millions.” He emphasized, stretching his arms out wide and strutting to Marvin’s seat, splashes of dry martini spilling out of his glass. 

As Whizzer sat in Marvin’s lap, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck, Trina and Cordelia came back to the table, holding numerous shots of varying colors. 

“What on Earth did we miss?” Trina laughed, setting small glasses on the table in front of each person. The glasses clacked against the glasses already on the table, crowding the table in empty and full shot glasses.

Mendel looked up from his hands, which had been holding his face for the past ten minutes, and said in a low voice, “Those two have been planning their romantic travels around the globe.”

Whizzer quickly turns in Marvin’s lap, waving his martini glass in the air, “I wanna go to fucking Paris!” He announced aggressively to the table, cheeks flushed.

Trina shook her head, smiling. She scooted along the booth until she settled in by Mendel, and rested her head on his shoulder. His stiff posture relaxed at her touch, and they intertwined hands, watching the situation unfold.

Cordelia sat down next to Charlotte, grabbing one of the shot glasses, “You can go to Paris, darling.” She said to Whizzer, voice bright. “I,” She turned her head to Charlotte, “wanna go to Hawaii.”

Charlotte laughed, “We could never afford that.” She jerked her head in Marvin’s direction, “Not all of us have a trust fund like Marv over there.”

“Hey!” Marvin said, pushing Whizzer’s shoulders a bit so he could get a clear view of Charlotte. She laughed at his affronted look.

“You’re right,” Cordelia said, swirling her shot in its glass, “But you’re gonna be a doctor,” She grinned, leaning into Charlotte and smiling into her cheek, “My girlfriend is gonna be god damn doctor. What’s a Hawaiian vacation to a doctor?”

“Why don’t we do shots?” Trina said, sitting up and stopping Cordelia’s train of thought that would go on for hours if left alone.

Whizzer cheered and reached for a shot glass. Marvin slapped his hand away, “No more alcohol.” He said into Whizzer’s shoulder, biting at the exposed skin from the man’s extensive dancing, leaving him practically shirtless. “You’re gonna die if you drink any more.”

“Will you go to my funeral?” Whizzer murmured, running his hand down Marvin’s arm. The rest of the group ignored them and took a shot.

Marvin looked up from Whizzer’s, now bruised, shoulder. He looked into Whizzer’s eyes and grinned, “I’ll go,” He sat up in the booth, grabbing onto Whizzer’s thighs and squeezing, “I’ll even make a speech.” He said, his eyes dark.

Whizzer laughed, moving his hand to rest on Marvin’s cheek, “What, are you into that?” He teased, “Kinky, Marvin,” He pulled Marvin’s face closer and nipped at Marvin’s bottom lip with his teeth, “Kinky.” He whispered.

“Jesus fucking christ.” Mendel whined, catching a glimpse of the two after taking his second shot.

Marvin finishes pouring the scotch into a large glass. He safely puts it back in the mini fridge under his desk. It was a luxury of having his office to himself. That way, no one could see him drink as he worked on highly confidential financial papers. It helps him calculate numbers. Or whatever.

His throat burns as he drinks from the glass. 2:36 A.M.

* * *

“Of course.” Marvin mumbles, shouldering his way into the airplane. He passes Danny in the front of the plane, both making quick eye contact before the man looks away from Marvin’s aggravated face.

Marvin’s carry on hits a few seats on his way to the seat he would be in for the next eleven hours. His seat which is right next to none other than Whizzer Brown. It’s a travesty how much a ‘coincidence’ this was. Especially since Cordelia ordered the damn tickets.

As Marvin moves to his seat, the man in question looks up from his magazine, tilting his sunglasses down. “Marv, hey babe.” He grins, closing his magazine after dog earing the page, something that makes Marvin die on the inside. 

“Whizzer.” He says curtly, shoving his carry on into the overhead compartment. If the numerous wet dreams involving Whizzer that Marvin had been having for the past week were to teach Marvin anything, it was that he should keep all contact with the man as professional as possible. So that’s what he is going to do. 

Marvin sighs and pulls out his laptop as he sits, flipping open the screen. He feels eyes on the side of his face as he types in his password and logs into his work profile. After a few moments of opening files he hadn’t quite finished, Marvin turns his head to Whizzer, “What.” He says.

Whizzer looks at the laptop then to Marvin with a single eyebrow raised. “Really?” He smirks, “Work? On your way to Hawaii?” The man opens the cover to the window on his right, showing Marvin a beautiful view of the airplane runway. He quickly closes it.

“Yeah,” Marvin says, mocking Whizzer, “Work.” He laughs slightly, turning back to his laptop, “Ever heard of it?”

He types into a spreadsheet for a few seconds, entering data from another form he filled out earlier that week. 

Then, Whizzer reopens his magazine, shaking his head, “Glad to see the asshole side of you hasn’t faded away in five years.” 

“Oh, it certainly hasn’t, dear.” He mumbles back, typing away into his laptop. He’s so engrossed in his work that he misses the smile cross Whizzer’s face at the term of endearment.

Marvin is two-thirds into the spreadsheet when Mendel walks down the aisle, Trina close behind him. Marvin looks up at Mendel’s tell tale jigging shuffle down the airplane and nods at the man, who nods back, then widens his eyes and shrugs his shoulder to his wife behind him, who is currently glaring daggers into Marvin.

She quickens her pace, making Mendel exclaim a quiet ‘hey!’ before he walks over to their seats. Trina stops in front of Marvin, a bag held in each hand, eyes ablaze. “You jerk!” She whisper screams at Marvin, pointing at him, bag swinging dangerously close to Marvin’s face.

“Trina, hello.” Marvin says politely, wide eyes betraying his cool facade.

“I cannot believe you!” She continues in her shrill tone, “You leave us for five goddamn years and all we get is a fucking postcard from Philly every year for Christmas!?” She bends her knees, nearly crouching in front of Marvin, “No phone call, nothing! Not even a ‘Congrats on the engagement!’ you goddamned asshole!”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Whizzer says, throwing up his hands. Marvin glares at him. Whizzer smiles innocently back.

Trina sighs, waving her hand, “Hello, Whizzer.” 

Whizzer waves his magazine, “Hello, Trina darling.” He says, mocking Mendel’s perfectly branded whipped voice.

She rolls her eyes. The seatbelt light flashes on all the seats. Trina stands back up, smoothing her sundress down. “This is not over, Marv.” She insists, pointing her finger at him again, raising her eyebrows.

Marvin nods, “I know.”

Then, Trina smiles through her exasperated expression. She leans down and kisses Marvin’s head, lips brushing his hair. “I’ve missed you, you dumb jerk.” 

Marvin smiles, looking up at her, “Me too.”

She pats his shoulder and then walks past him, to her and Mendel’s seats.

Trina walked past Marvin in the library pointedly avoiding eye contact with him.

He caught up with her and grabbed her arm. She stopped, turning her head to look back at anything but Marvin. The shelves of books. The curious librarian, peering at them over her book. The door. Anything. Then, she turned around, walking back to the table she was previously seated at, dragging Marvin with her.

They sat at the table, the same table they met at. The same table they studied at for a year before this incident.

Trina looked up at Marvin, eyes slightly damp. She cleared her throat before speaking, “You,” she paused, looking around the room to resituate herself, something Marvin noticed she does often in stressful situations, “You have feelings for photography major.” 

She said this as if she hadn’t caught Marvin and Whizzer fucking in his dorm room just yesterday. She said this in a calm and collected, yet scratchy voice, as if she didn’t lock herself in her room until Marvin finally saw her at the library a few minutes before this conversation.

Marvin nodded, scratching his wrist. “You have feelings for guitar guy, huh?” He mutters at the table. 

He said this as if this was the first time he noticed the longing look in Trina’s eyes as they visited Marvin’s friend, Mendel, at his guitar gigs. He said this as if he didn’t notice the months afterward, her laughing too hard at Mendel’s jokes when everyone got together.

She nodded, swallowing thickly.

They both acted like they hadn’t known their relationship was doomed from the beginning of the spring semester. The fall semester was nice, the two exchanging notes and kisses between pink scribbles of biology and black scratches of literature studies. 

Then, Marvin invited her to Mendel’s first gig at a coffee shop, where he met Whizzer in the bathroom, who commented on the performer’s song choices with a laugh. How could they continue their mostly platonic relationship when they both found someone who lit a flame in their souls?

Marvin made eye contact with Trina, reaching across the table, holding her hand. She didn’t move away.

“I’m so sorry.” He said.

“Me too.” She said back.

Maybe they were both to blame. Maybe Marvin fucked Whizzer while he and Trina were together. Maybe Trina went to Mendel’s dorm room and fantasized about futures together with him as he strummed his guitar. Maybe Trina leaned in for a shy, terrified kiss. Maybe Whizzer clenched his hands around Marvin’s waist, whispering that it was college, it was the time to experiment. Maybe Mendel responded to Trina’s scared kiss with a sure one, later singing a soft, soulful melody of love and risk. 

It was just a damn shame Marvin got caught first.

“Hey, you okay?”

Marvin blinks quickly, closing his laptop. He looks over at Whizzer, “What?”

Whizzer frowns, “You were kinda spaced out there.” He shrugs, looking back at his magazine. “I don’t know, just remember you had trouble on planes.”

Marvin feels the plane and his stomach lurch as they take off. He nods, shoving his laptop into the pocket on the back of the seat in front of him. Sinking back into the seat, he grips his armrests tightly. Airplanes terrify Marvin if he’s being completely honest. He doesn’t know why, but the enclosed space, as well as the jerking movements of the plane and the knowledge that they are in the sky, reduces him to a little child.

A hand grazing his interrupts the mental self beration. Marvin opens his eyes, which he hadn’t realized he closed in the first place. Whizzer’s hand rests on top of his lightly, barely touching his skin. Marvin glances over at Whizzer, who remains invested in his magazine, sunglasses now hanging on the collar of his polo.

Marvin takes in a shaky breath.

He turns his hand over and intertwines their fingers. Whizzer squeezes his hand softly. His hand is soft and warm, and it fits so comfortably in Marvin’s. Marvin stares at their hands, a tightness in his chest replacing the nausea in his stomach. He looks up at the television hanging above the aisle, not paying attention, but watching the nameless movie.

They remain like that. Whizzer reads his magazine, not once turning the page. And Marvin, eyes trained on the television, hears and sees none of the movie. A jerk in the plane causes Whizzer to squeeze Marvin’s hand, who squeezes back thankfully.

Marvin’s eyes start to flutter shut over the next hour. The long ride to the airport coupled with his sleepless nights working are to blame for his exhaustion.

He begins to fall asleep, body automatically searching for a comfortable spot in a sleepy daze. That spot just happens to be leaning against Whizzer, head on the man’s shoulder.

Whizzer flinches at the sudden contact, then relaxes. 

Marvin falls asleep. Their hands remain intertwined.

* * *

“Babe, hey. Get up.” Marvin hears, squinting his eyes open.

He looks up at Whizzer, who smiles disbelievingly at him.

“Hm?” He notices their hands are still connected. He’s too tired to extract his hand from the other. At least, that’s what he tells himself for the moment.

“You slept for like,” Whizzer checks his watch, “ten hours straight.” He looks back at Marvin, raising his eyebrows, “You getting enough sleep at that cushy job?”

Marvin ignores the barb at his job and responds, “I’m fine.” He smacks his lips, suddenly feeling the dry fuzziness of his mouth after a long nap, or sleep, on an airplane. Then, Whizzer hands him a bottle of water.

He looks at the bottle curiously. Whizzer laughs quietly, eyes scrunching a bit, “The flight attendant came over while you were passed out.”

Marvin shakes his head, grinning. He releases Whizzer’s hand and twists open the water bottle.

“Oh, should’ve mentioned this earlier.” Whizzer said, standing up, “We’re here.” He smirks down at Marvin, stepping over Marvin’s legs and into the aisle.

Suddenly, Marvin sees all of the departing passengers through his sleep hazed eyes. He scrambles up, pulling his laptop out of the seat pocket, “You asshole.” He mutters at Whizzer, who laughs loudly and walks off, sliding his sunglasses back on.

* * *

Marvin, Whizzer, Trina, Mendel, and Danny regroup in the airport after bathroom breaks and luggage retrievals and in Mendel’s case, a quick look in the souvenir shops.

“Char said they’re parking now.” Trina says, putting her cell phone back into her oversized purse. 

“Great,” Whizzer says, “‘Cause I have no clue where the hotel we’re all supposed to be in is.”

Danny laughs, “It was on the invitation, dude.” 

Whizzer glances in the quasi-hipster’s direction, “You’re Donny, right?”

“Danny.” The man looks slightly insulted, his eyebrows quirking at the error.

Mendel interjects into the conversation, “How great is it that we are all together again?” He says, “I mean, it’s been so long since we’ve done this!”

“We’ve all gone to a wedding before?” Marvin tilts his head.

“No,” Mendel glares at Marvin, “You know what I mean.” 

“Totally.” Whizzer grins at Mendel, crossing his arms.

“This,” Mendel points at Marvin then Whizzer, “teaming up against me is not appreciated. It never was.”

Trina puts her hand on Mendel’s shoulder, “Okay, honey. Cool it,” She says, silently laughing. “So, Danny,” She turns to the man in question, “Are you and Cordelia close?”

Danny grins, “Yeah, I’d been helping out at her business for a while. We’ve gotten to talking. It’s just the two of us and the volunteer cooks, you know?” He rubs the back of his neck, “I mean, she let me move in with her and Char for a bit when I broke up with my boyfriend, so I think we’ve gotten pretty close.”

Marvin swallows at the mention of a boyfriend. He thinks he sees Whizzer shift, and of course he does. Marvin bets Whizzer will hook up with the long haired, fresh out of college grad at least twice by the end of the wedding rehearsal.

He zones out as Danny chats with Trina. Whizzer glances at him, smiling and furrowing his eyebrows in a ‘You okay?’

Marvin looks away.

“Hey, guys!” Cordelia says, already fully dressed in a Hawaii tourist getup, leis and all. Charlotte wears her usual button down and pants, the only sign of the island being a small, pink flower above her ear.

The group jumbles together as everyone hugs and greets the two.

“Okay,” Charlotte says, taking a slip of paper and a few key cards out of her pocket, “When we get to the hotel, you’re gonna room with someone in the wedding party.” She looks at the list, “Trina and Mendel, you’re in 204.” She hands them a key card, “Danny, you’ll be with my sister, she will be getting in Honolulu tomorrow morning. You two are in 253.” The man takes the key card, “And Marvin and Whizzer are in 280.”

As Whizzer moves to get the key card, Marvin mutters in Cordelia’s ear, “What the hell.”

She mutters back, “I got you guys separate beds, don’t worry.” 

Marvin nods, relieved.

Cordelia smiles deviously, “They’re both queens, just like you guys.”

Marvin pretends not to notice her squeak as he steps on her foot.

* * *

“Home sweet home.” Whizzer says, pushing the hotel room door open.

Marvin drags his suitcase in, sighing, “Thank God. How are you not exhausted?” 

Whizzer raises his eyebrows, “I had some coffee at the airport, how are you exhausted?” He follows Marvin in, pulling his suitcase behind him, “You had a full night’s sleep on that plane.”

“Travel, Whizzer. It’s tiring.” Marvin snarks back to Whizzer, until he catches himself. Completely formal, that’s it. “Which bed do you want?” He asks the taller man, starting to unpack.

Whizzer scans the room with his eyes, crossing his arms. His eyes squint, in a perfect picture of intense thought, then, “Which one are you gonna be in?”

Marvin twists around, a shocked look on his face, “Whizzer-”

“I’m kidding!” Whizzer laughs, holding up his hands. He points at the bed closest to the window, “I’ll sleep in that one.” He says, walking over to it and setting his suitcase on the sheets. He unzips it and begins to take out his shirts.

Marvin resumes unpacking until another wave of exhaustion hits him. He closes his suitcase and climbs onto his bed, “I can’t take this, I’m taking a nap.” He throws his arm over his eyes, kicking his shoes off of his feet, letting them drop off the bed and onto the ground. “Wake me up later.” He says to Whizzer, peeking out from under his arm.

Whizzer’s eyes trail up Marvin’s sprawled form on the bed. Then, he notices Marvin’s watchful eye and clears his throat, “I’ll come back when I leave for the bonfire.” He grins at Marvin, sliding his sunglasses back on, “For now, I’m gonna hit the bar and see how many singles are there at 4 P.M. on a Monday.” He fixes the tuck on his shirt and winks at Marvin, “Wish me luck.”

Marvin ignores the frown pulling at his mouth and replies, “Good luck, you’ll need it.”

Whizzer laughs loudly, walking to the door, “Thanks, babe.”

The door clicks shut behind the man and Marvin turns over in the bed, shoving his face into the pillow.

“What?” Marvin asked, letting go of Whizzer’s blazer lapels.

Whizzer whined at the loss of contact, slightly swollen lips frowning. He leaned in for another kiss, muttering against a still Marvin’s lips, “I can’t come over tomorrow, I’m going to that bar across town. Diamond’s.”

Marvin pushed Whizzer away, shaking his head. “What the fuck, Whizzer?”

“What?” Whizzer tried to grab onto Marvin’s hips again. Marvin shoved his hands away, an angry expression crossing his face. “Marv,” Whizzer whispered, “You know we’re not exclusive.” He licked his lips, brows furrowing, “I mean, you were dating a girl when we got together. I think I can have this, babe.”

The room seemed to spin, Marvin ran a hand through his hair, “You’re going out to go, what? Go find some freshman to fuck while I’m here? What the fuck?”

Whizzer shook his head, “I’m going out with a few other guys from my design class,” He shrugs exasperatedly, “And I mean, it’s a bar. It’s college, what else should I do during these years?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Marvin laughed humorlessly, “Stay with me?”

“Marvin, you agreed that we were open when we got together.”

Marvin threw his hands up, getting off of his bed and pacing the room, “I thought you meant that just because Trina and I were together! I’m sorry if I didn’t realize it actually meant you could go stick your dick wherever you want!”

Whizzer stood up, glaring, “Believe it or not, Marvin, not everything is about you.”

“That’s rich.” Marvin laughed again, glaring back at Whizzer.

Whizzer’s eyes raked up and down Marvin’s imposing and mocking form. Then, he made eye contact with Marvin, “You’re a fucking asshole.” He muttered, walking up to Marvin and kissing him again, digging his fingers into Marvin’s waist. 

Marvin responded by wrapping his arms around Whizzer’s neck, biting and sucking hard on Whizzer’s lips. He wanted to bruise his lips, make the next goddamn conquest Whizzer decided to screw know that Whizzer was his, whether he liked it or not.

Marvin falls asleep, dreams haunted by images of Whizzer and some faceless man in a passionate embrace. The faceless man slowly becomes more recognizable. His hair is tied into a neat bun at the top of his head and he gasps into Whizzer’s mouth, who grins and grips the other’s shoulders.

* * *

Marvin and Whizzer walk down the beach path. The bonfire has already been started, everyone in the wedding party except Charlotte’s sister sitting around it, the night sky causing the fire to burn brightly.

“Let’s do this.” Whizzer mutters, as the cases of beer cans and wine coolers come into view.

Marvin shakes his head, “Cordelia really bought out the bar.”

“Please,” Whizzer laughs, “More like the 7/11, the bar was way more bougie than this.”

A tipsy Trina sees the two approaching and yells, holding her solo cup of wine to them, “They’re finally here!”

Marvin laughs, sitting in one of two empty chairs. “Whizzer woke me up late, what can I say?”

“Oh that’s why? We all thought you two were-Ow!” Mendel cries out as Charlotte punches him in the arm.

Whizzer sits down next to Marvin, handing him a beer, his own in hand, “Sorry, your highness. If it makes you feel better, I didn’t even get a drink at the bar. Way too expensive for a single margarita.”

It does make Marvin feel better, a fuzzy feeling growing in his stomach that’s either caused by the beer he’s drinking or the fact that Whizzer most likely did not have a chance to sleep with some sad Hawaiian tourist. He attributes it to the beer for now.

“Now that you guys are here, we can finally make s’mores!” Cordelia explains excitedly, grabbing a bag of marshmallows and ripping it open. She hands the bag to Charlotte after taking one, next grabbing the graham crackers. Charlotte takes a marshmallow and passes the bag on to Danny who passes it to Mendel.

“I haven’t had s’mores since that bender back in college.” Mendel admits, eating a marshmallow and grabbing another one. Trina takes the bag from him, an admonishing frown on her face. 

“Whizzer got so fucking plastered.” Charlotte laughs, taking a graham cracker out of the box.

“Hey, it was senior year.” Whizzer points at her, raising his eyebrows, “We were all graduating soon, let past me get wasted for once.” He takes a marshmallow from the bag.

“For once?” Marvin turns to Whizzer, laughing.

Whizzer glares playfully at Marvin and throws a marshmallow at him.

* * *

As the night progresses, so does everyone’s blood alcohol content. 

Trina is leaning against Mendel, chairs pushed together. Cordelia and Charlotte are dancing near the fire to music Danny has graciously provided with his phone. And Whizzer, well, he’s in Marvin’s lap.

And Marvin is struggling very much to keep his cool.

Whizzer leans his back against Marvin’s chest, cradling a plastic cup of wine in his hands. Marvin keeps his hands clear of Whizzer’s anything, and sits back, his beer in hand. Although the alcohol in his system is making it very hard to keep his originally planned professionalism in play. Also, Whizzer is in his fucking lap.

“You guys are gross!” Whizzer calls over at Cordelia and Charlotte, who are slow dancing to a hip hop song from the 90’s.

They look over and laugh, “You can’t say that!” Cordelia shouts far too loudly, “We’re getting married in two days! We can do whatever we want!” 

Charlotte raises an eyebrow at Whizzer, “And look at yourself, honey. It’s like we’re back in college.” She laughs, turning her head away from them but still addressing them, “All over each other as always!” She calls.

Whizzer points his cup of wine at them, “It’s ‘cause we’re close! We are friends and we love each other!” He yells back at the couple, who laugh and continue dancing. “Right, babe?” He says to Marvin, shifting in his lap.

Marvin laughs, mind fuzzy from too many beers, “Of course, darling.” He decides to hell with professionalism. 

Whizzer’s eyes widen and his jaw drops, “You love me!” he gasps and puts his hand over his heart, closing his eyes. “He loves me, guys!” He yells in no particular direction.

Mendel shouts back, “We know, idiot! We can hear you two clearly!”

“We love you too, Whizzer!” Trina assures, pink flushed cheeks rounding as she smiles at the man.

Whizzer settles back into Marvin’s lap, wrapping his free arm around Marvin’s neck. “I am so glad,” he slurs slightly, “We are all here bonded by everyone’s mutual love for me.”

Marvin laughs at Whizzer, wrapping his arms around Whizzer’s waist for stability. He forgot how much fun drunk Whizzer is. Hell, he forgot how much fun Whizzer is. And he doesn’t care if he gets close to Whizzer, because in a week he’s going to be back in Philadelphia and he’ll be damned if he spent an entire vacation afraid of the man.

“Oh yeah, that’s why we’re here.” Marvin teases.

Whizzer looks down at Marvin, dangerously close to Marvin’s face. His face is illuminated in a soft orange from the flaming bonfire. His teeth are showing as he smiles at Marvin. “Why are you here, then?”

Marvin tilts his head at the question, “For ‘Delia and Char’s wedding.” 

“Is that the only reason?” Whizzer asks, grinning. 

Marvin feels his heartbeat pick up at the question. Of course, Whizzer’s too drunk to actually realize what he asked, as he’s smiling goofily at Marvin, waiting for another joking response. But, Marvin isn’t as drunk. And he knows he came for Cordelia and Charlotte, of course. But there was a part of him that secretly hoped Whizzer would be attending, checking his email every day to see if Cordelia would invite him to the wedding.

He shakes his head slowly. Whizzer looks at Marvin, confused.

A few moments pass, and they stay staring at each other, faces too close for comfort. Marvin, terrified and Whizzer, trying to comprehend the immense meaning behind Marvin’s movements through the haze of alcohol in his system. 

Suddenly, the music fades into the back of Marvin’s mind as he gets a close view of Whizzer. His eyes are dark and glassy, as they get when he’s particularly intoxicated. His cheeks have thinned out slightly after his college years. And he finally perfected his hairstyle, something he had been experimenting with in college for months.

And, God, Marvin wants to lean in and kiss him. Wants to go back to college. Wants to relive all the days of casual sex and playful friendship they had. Wants to be back in those times forever and ever, never leaving.

Marvin stands up, shoving Whizzer off of him. Whizzer cries a small ‘ow!’ when he falls onto the sand, wine spilling out of his cup.

The group looks at Marvin, questions on their face. Marvin looks around, face to face. He breathes heavily. The ground under him feels like it’s spinning. And he can’t handle it.

He ignores the shouts behind him as he hurries up the path back to the hotel room.

* * *

Marvin awakens from his fitful sleep at the sound of the hotel room door opening. Stumbling footsteps. They stop next to Marvin’s bed.

Marvin keeps his eyes shut, facing away from Whizzer, who can barely stand on his feet. The room is still dark, only lit by small flashes of light from the outside from the flickering bonfire.

Then, Marvin hears Whizzer clear his throat and ask, “Is it so easy for you to sleep without me?”

His heart stops at the question. He can’t stay silent at that. 

“What?” He asks quietly, turning in the bed. He’s shocked when he sees Whizzer. His shirt is crumpled, eyes glassier than before. He’s nearly swaying. God, he’s drunker than that bender during senior year.

Whizzer swallows, “I can’t fucking bear to sleep without you.” His voice comes out garbled and shaky.

Maybe it’s the few beers that’s still in Marvin’s system. Maybe it’s the genuine sadness in Whizzer’s voice that Marvin had only heard once or twice in the entire time they’ve known each other. Maybe it’s the pull at his heart when he hears those words come out of Whizzer’s mouth that so greatly reflect how Marvin feels on a daily basis.

Regardless of the reason, Marvin finds himself whispering back, “Me neither.”

Whizzer looks around, not really taking in his surroundings. “Can I,” He licks his lips, unsure of how to continue. He shakes his head quickly in frustration at the lack of tact he has when he’s drunk.

Marvin scoots back and lifts up the blanket in invitation.

Smiling gratefully, Whizzer takes off his shoes and climbs into the bed. He lies down, back facing Marvin.

They lie there for a few short moments, unsure of how to proceed.

Then, Marvin tentatively wraps an arm around Whizzer. Whizzer tenses, then relaxes. He inches back, until his back presses against Marvin’s chest. Marvin holds him tighter.

Marvin knows Whizzer won’t be able to remember this in the morning. He knows if he doesn’t want to completely split the small group of friends he has, he can’t do this. He can’t do this to himself, or Whizzer.

Yet, he takes in this night. He smells Whizzer’s hair and sighs at the scent he remembers from college. The shampoo the other man was obsessed with. The slight scent of cologne. 

Whizzer falls asleep.

They only have a few hours until the next day. Until they have to go back to the careful, yet far too intimate interactions they had been going through the past day. But, Marvin is fine with that. This is their own little world, something Marvin thought he would never be in again. At this moment, Marvin, who had been tortured by stress and heartbreak and a sense of emptiness for the past five years, feels at complete peace holding Whizzer.

He wonders how Whizzer isn’t woken up by the sound of his thudding heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! Please comment what you thought about it :) I love comments so much, they motivate me to write so please leave one below <3
> 
> Next chapter: A morning at the beach and a bachelorettes party.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beach, a bachelorette's party, and a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for a late update!! I'm going to be updating once every weekend, from here on out. I like this chapter a lot, though, so enjoy! :)
> 
> Also sry abt the format of this chapter, the paragraphs are spaced apart a little too much. I'm way too tired to fix it, though lol.

The beach is full of festivities this morning, a fully fledged Hawaiian barbeque happening just outside the wedding party’s hotel. Cordelia and Charlotte feed each other bites of some tropical fruit salad as they rest on their large beach towel just off of the shore, small waves of water tickling their feet. Mendel and Danny play a game of beach volleyball against Trina and Charlotte’s sister, who had arrived earlier that morning. And Marvin is walking with Whizzer along the shore of the beach.

 

Marvin’s hands remain in his beach short pockets. He looks ahead at the beach as they walk, occasionally kicking up sand with his bare feet, which annoys Whizzer to no end. That might be why Marvin does it.

 

“These are expensive sandals, you know?” The taller man reminds Marvin, shaking sand off of his precious sandals. His face twists into a frown as small grains of sand get stuck in the seams of the footwear.

 

“I’m so sorry.” Marvin says sarcastically, continuing to walk a shuffling sort of pace, making sure to get sand onto Whizzer’s shoes. 

 

Having had enough, Whizzer bumps Marvin with his hips, causing him to stumble into the ocean, ice-cold water splashing onto his calves. 

 

Marvin curses loudly and steps quickly out of the water, glaring at the silently laughing man next to him. “You jerk.” He mutters, stepping toward Whizzer, facing him now.

 

He watches with a reserved sense of glee as Whizzer’s eyes widen slightly. “C’mon man,” Whizzer holds up his hands, stepping back, “It was just some water, don’t do this. I still want a chance to play volleyball in dry clothing.” He smiles at Marvin, who continues to slowly walk towards him, “Babe, don’t do this.” He whispers as Marvin steps up to him, inches away, grinning widely.

 

Marvin leans forward and places his hands on Whizzer’s shoulders, muttering in his ear, “I’m so sorry, babe.” He ignores the quiet gasp escape Whizzer’s lips and tightens his grip on the man’s shoulders, quickly turning around and pushing Whizzer into the ocean. Whizzer shouts as he falls backward into the shallow water. He catches himself with his hands, but it’s too late. Water splashes around him and soaks his entire backside.

 

“You fucking asshole!” Whizzer cries out, still sitting in the water. He shudders at the water dripping down his body, “This outfit costs more than your entire wardrobe, you idiot!” He shouts over Marvin’s laughing.

 

Before Marvin has a second to react, Whizzer reaches forward and grabs Marvin’s wrist, pulling him down. Marvin falls onto Whizzer with a small ‘oof!’,  hands landing on Whizzer’s chest. Whizzer’s hands automatically go to Marvin’s waist, stabilizing the both of them.

 

Marvin looks down at Whizzer, practically kneeling in between Whizzer’s legs. A small smile appears on Whizzer’s face, looking back.

 

“Hey.” He says, brown eyes crinkling at the edges. His thumbs absentmindedly trace circles in Marvin’s hips.

 

“Hey.” Marvin says, hands moving up to rest on either side of Whizzer’s neck.

 

Whizzer’s thumbs traced circles into Marvin’s hips, staring at the ceiling. Marvin lied on top of Whizzer, kissing a trail up the man’s neck.

 

“It’s weird to be doing this in my dorm, huh? With my roommate coming back any second.” Whizzer muttered through soft gasps as Marvin found a spot just under Whizzer’s jaw, biting and sucking at the skin.

 

“Yeah,” Marvin said into Whizzer’s skin, “It’s pretty hot, too.”

 

Whizzer laughed, hands tightening on Marvin’s bare hips. “You’re just saying that ‘cause he’ll be back any second.” He looped a leg around Marvin’s, locking their feet together, “And this sight will terrify his little Christian soul all the way back to Alabama.”

 

Marvin moved from Whizzer’s throat to his face, staring intensely into Whizzer’s eyes, “Good.” He said, capturing Whizzer’s lips in a small kiss, biting onto his bottom lip for a second before releasing it. Whizzer sat up on his elbows, pushing their lips together again.

 

They kissed languidly for what seemed like eternity before Whizzer pulled back, “What has gotten into you, babe?”

 

“I don’t know,” Marvin grinned, hands rubbing up and down Whizzer’s chest, “It could be that I got the job down in Philly.”

 

Whizzer’s eyes widened and he sits up properly, holding Marvin in his lap, “Oh my god, that’s amazing, Marv!” He smiled, giddy. His eyes turned softer for a second, “I’m so proud of you, babe.” He said before kissing Marvin again, who responded enthusiastically.

 

“Hey lovebirds!” Cordelia yells from the barbeque, standing next to the table of never ending foods, “I need Whizzer! So, get off your asses and for god’s sake, change out of those wet clothes!” And with that, she walks back into the hotel, a bounce in her step.

 

Marvin and Whizzer grin quietly at each other. 

 

“Best man duty calls.” Whizzer says, hands still at Marvin’s hips, “Probably something for the bachelorettes party tonight.” He mutters.

 

“What a ridiculous name.” Marvin says, shaking his head. 

 

Whizzer’s smile grows, “Hey, it can’t be a bachelorette party.” He smirks, “There’s two bachelorettes.”

 

Marvin groans, “You came up with the name, didn’t you.”

 

“You caught me.” Whizzer shrugs and pats Marvin’s hips twice, “Well, I’ve gotta go, babe.”

 

There’s an awkward moment as Marvin climbs off of Whizzer. They make eye contact as Marvin pushes off of Whizzer’s lap, standing up. He holds a hand out to Whizzer, who takes it and pulls himself up. “My ass is numb now, you jerk.” Whizzer says, walking past Marvin toward the hotel.

 

Marvin watches him walk off, eyes raking his water soaked backside, making the fabric of his clothes cling to his form, showing off every plane of sharp muscle. He averts his eyes. Even if he’s dropped the whole professionalism route, he still can’t be ogling his ex in plain sight of his friends, who would no doubt jump to conclusions Marvin just cannot visit this week.

 

The lone man looks down at the ground, the soft sand around his bare feet. He feels a knot tug in his mind, begging to be unraveled. It grows more present every second he spends in Hawaii, confronted by the memories and presence of Whizzer. He doesn’t want to grab the ends of the knot, pulling until it spells out in plain letters the revelation he’s been avoiding for five years. 

 

Now, though, after having shared a moment with Whizzer that felt so reminiscent of their carefree college days, yet freshly new, a quality of trust in it underneath the layers of their past pain, Marvin realizes he wants to unravel the knot, wants to understand why he’s felt so goddamn stationary ever since he graduated. 

 

Then, a volleyball rolls to his feet. Eyebrows furrowing, he bends down and picks it up. As he stands back up, he flinches at the sudden form of Danny in front of him.

 

“Hey, man,” Marvin says, handing the ball off to the shirtless man. 

 

Danny smiles at Marvin, “Hey, Marvin.” His hair has been let down this morning, loose curls falling around his face and reaching to just above his shoulders. In true Hawaiian tourist spirit, a seashell necklace hangs around his bare neck.

 

Marvin swallows, looking back up at Danny’s grinning face quickly. “How’re you liking Hawaii so far?” He says.

 

“It’s great.” Danny says, throwing the volleyball in the air. He catches it, “What about you?” His right eyebrow raises, “You and Whizzer were getting real chummy.” He states, now maintaining eye contact with Marvin.

 

Marvin laughs, “Yeah, uh,” He rubs the back of his neck, shaking his head, “That’s nothing. Just Whizzer being Whizzer.”

 

“Oh, trust me, I understand.” Danny says, like he’s keeping a secret. The side of his mouth quirks up, revealing a dimple on his cheek.

 

Marvin’s blood runs cold. “Oh.” He says quietly, keeping eye contact with Danny. He feels like he could run into the ocean and keep running until he couldn’t anymore, letting the waves overtake him. He already feels like he’s drowning.

 

“I’ll catch you later, Marv.” Danny says, nodding at the frozen man. He turns away, tossing the volleyball in the air again. He walks back to the game of beach volleyball. Mendel cries out a ‘finally!’ and Trina gets up from her beach towel, ready to play.

 

Marvin watches Danny’s retreating figure, eyes focusing unsteadily through his racing mind. The muscles of his back are defined, hard planes of smooth, tanning skin. His swim shorts are far too short to be considered appropriate, but long enough to be more than underwear. Danny laughs at Mendel’s frustration and steps back, then forward, and serves the ball, muscles in his arm flexing. 

 

Marvin lets himself stare.

 

* * *

 

After playing a few rounds of beach volleyball when Charlotte’s sister also had to go in for bachelorettes party business, Marvin shuffles back into the hotel lobby, arms and face feeling tingly from a probable sunburn. He approaches the corner that leads to the meeting room, which Cordelia and Charlotte rented out for wedding planning business.

 

It’s a corner Marvin has to pass to get to the elevators to his hotel room, but this time he stops, hearing voices within the room. He steps forward, just out of sight of the large glass doors.

 

“Okay, so the club is booked for sure, right?” Cordelia says.

 

Whizzer responds, paper ruffling, probably forms of some kind, “Yup, we’ve got it tonight from 8 to 12.”

 

A moment of silence, some sounds of moving objects. Then, “So,” Cordelia’s small voice resounds in the meeting room, leaking out of the slightly ajar doors Marvin stands near, “How are you holding up?” A pause. “With him?”

 

“‘Delia!” Charlotte admonishes, but Whizzer makes a sound, stopping her.

 

“It’s fine, Char.” He says, “I think we’re doing fine. Actually, he might be sunburnt by now, God knows how sensitive his skin is.”

 

The room laughs, then a new voice. Charlotte’s sister, Laura, who Marvin had met briefly that morning, “Charlotte told me about your history, do you want me to move your seats elsewhere?”

 

Whizzer laughs and responds, “No, it’s fine. He hasn’t been so much of a pain, I don’t think we need to shun him to the in-laws table.”

 

“Are you sure you’re fine with this?” Charlotte says, “I mean, I can tell Marvin’s a complete spazz over you being here.”

 

“Really?” Whizzer says, a thoughtful touch to his voice, “I didn’t notice.” Another pause. “To be completely honest, I didn’t expect him to show. I guess those scented invites and tickets to Hawaii really got him going.” He laughs quietly.

 

“Whizzer,” Cordelia says,  “You know the wedding isn’t why he came. Hell, we haven’t been in contact for five years, why would he show up besides,” She trails off.

 

“Right.” Whizzer drones, “Anyways, someone should fetch Marvin, he must be miserable from playing volleyball. He was never good at it.”

 

Then, Marvin feels arms clap on his shoulder. He flinches, looking behind him quickly. Mendel.

 

The bearded man shakes his head knowingly, “You know,” he mutters, “If you’re gonna eavesdrop, at least do it so no one else sees you.”

 

“Good advice.” Marvin mutters back.

 

“Alright, I’ll get Marv.” Cordelia says, chair squeaking as she gets up.

 

Then, Mendel steps into view, opening the door, “Did someone say Marvin? I’ve got him right here.” He smiles, pulling Marvin into the room with him.

 

As Marvin stumbles into the room, he notices all the papers on the conference table as well as the glasses of some type of champagne. The brides and the best man and woman sit there, looking up at Marvin and Mendel curiously.

 

“Well, finally,” Whizzer groans. He leans back in his chair, dropping the papers in his hand onto the table with a thump, causing Laura to quickly gather them, frowning at the man. Whizzer winks at her and then looks expectantly at Marvin.

 

Marvin raises an eyebrow at him, grinning despite the sick feeling in his stomach from the quiet and smug expression on Danny’s face earlier. 

 

Whizzer stands up, walking to Marvin, “We gotta go get some food before we all take off for the bachelorettes party, and you sir,” he pats Marvin’s shoulder, “Are my ride.”

 

“Why me?”

 

“C’mon,” Whizzer says, tilting his head, “You really want me to be the third wheel to the brides? Or to Mendel and Trina?”

 

Marvin crosses his arms, “What about Danny?” He then adds as an afterthought, “And Laura?”

 

Whizzer shrugs, “I wanted some more familiar company.” He looks over at Laura, “No offense.”

 

She waves him off, flipping through another folder of catering confirmations for the wedding.

 

“Well, babe.” Whizzer grins, sticking his hands into his ridiculously tight pants, which he had the sense to change into, “I guess we’re going to dinner together.”

 

“Whatever, let me go change and we’ll go to a McDonald’s or something.”

 

Whizzer gives Marvin a look so affronted and disgusted that Marvin laughs, turning around and leaving the conference room.

 

 

* * *

 

 

They don’t go to McDonald’s, as it turns out. They go to a small local restaurant around ten minutes from the club, and sit together at a table by the window. Marvin’s knees just barely touch Whizzer’s under the table due to the size of it, and just like all of Marvin’s problems in his life: he ignores it. If Whizzer wants to screw-or has screwed, rather- some hipster post grad who looks like he owns every social media platform that exists, then so be it. Marvin couldn’t care less.

 

At least, that’s the monologue that he keeps repeating to himself in his head as Whizzer moves slightly, knocking their knees together. 

 

“So, you excited for tonight?” Marvin asks, moving some rice in his bowl around with a fork. They had been here for around twenty minutes already, enjoying their meals in silence. Whizzer, because he was scarfing down his sandwich after not eating all day and Marvin because he was still overthinking the Danny situation.

 

Whizzer looks up from his mostly eaten sandwich and smirks, “Oh, hell yes. It’s gonna be amazing, especially since I planned it,” He practically preens.

 

Marvin pointedly doesn’t look at Whizzer’s face, pushing the miniscule amount of rice around. “I bet.” He says, jaw clenched.

 

Whizzer’s hand comes to rest beside Marvin’s rice bowl on the table, “Hey,” He says gently, “You alright?” 

 

“You alright?” Whizzer asked from his bar stool, knees knocking into Marvin’s. 

 

This was originally planned to be a double date between Trina and Marvin and Whizzer and his boyfriend, but, apparently Whizzer and his boyfriend had broken up before the date and Trina got sick so that leaves Whizzer and Marvin alone for the first time since their chance meeting in the bathroom during Mendel’s gig.

 

“Yeah, it’s just odd to be hanging out alone like this,” Marvin laughed, “We’ve never done it before.”

 

They had hung out with the whole group a few times, but never in close proximity like this. And of course, it didn’t help that Marvin felt his pants grow tighter every single time Whizzer walked in or out of a room. It was a nice view either way. 

 

But, Marvin had a girlfriend. Which he had yet to have sex with. He said it was because he had some sort of rule to himself about commitment or whatever, but it was just that he never felt attracted to Trina, she was just there and so nice to him that he felt the proper next step was to ask her out, which leads to now.

 

“I mean,” Whizzer said, shrugging while raising his glass to his lips, sipping from the martini glass, “I’m glad we got the chance to do this, you’re a cool guy, Marv.”

 

Marvin grinned, feeling his arms cover in slight goosebumps from the nickname, “Me too.”

 

Whizzer set his glass down, eyes looking down at the counter before flicking up to Marvin’s, “Plus, it helps Mendel isn’t here to sing to us.”

 

“You’re an asshole!” Marvin laughed loudly, pointing at Whizzer, “He’s not that bad!”

 

“Please,” Whizzer snorted, rolling his eyes at Marvin, “He can’t strum that guitar for the life of him and all of his songs are the fucking plot to Romeo and Juliet.” He smirked, “Or West Side Story.”

 

“You really think he knows what West Side Story is?”

 

Whizzer laughed at that, eyes crinkling, “He might be straight, but he is the type to rip his songs off of West Side Story for its star crossed lovers theme.”

 

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Marvin gasped, “I know what West Side Story is!”

 

“And?” Whizzer grinned darkly, crossing his arms.

 

“And,” Marvin started, “I’m not,” He trailed off. Marvin wasn’t an idiot, he knew he was gay. But, that didn’t mean he told anyone. Especially since he had a girlfriend who he was only with to keep their group of friends from falling apart, since Marvin had no other friends otherwise.

 

Whizzer raised an eyebrow, “You really expect me to fall for that?”

 

Marvin grinned, shaking his head slightly, “A little, yeah.”

 

Whizzer stood up, bar stool screeching behind him. “So,” he stepped closer to Marvin, moving into the spot between Marvin’s legs, “This means nothing to you?”

 

His face was a mere foot away from Marvin’s. It made Marvin’s face heat up and his pulse quicken. “Of course not.” He muttered, looking at Whizzer’s lips for a second before looking quickly up at Whizzer’s eyes, which was also a bad idea since they made him stare as soon as he saw them.

 

“Oh really?” Whizzer grinned. He placed his hands on Marvin’s chest, slightly rubbing and feeling the muscles under the man’s shirt.

 

Marvin swallowed, heart racing at the situation. He whispered, “Yeah.”

 

Whizzer shook his head, smiling, “I don’t believe you.” And leans forward suddenly, capturing Marvin’s lips with his. 

 

They stay still for a moment before Marvin moved, lips gently gliding over Whizzer’s who responded with passion, hands moving up to the nape of Marvin’s neck, playing with the short hairs in the back. 

 

Marvin pulled back, lips wet, “Wait, no.” He said, eyes growing wider, “I have Trina, and-”

 

“And what?” Whizzer asked and bent down, kissing down Marvin’s neck, “I bet you two haven’t done it since you’re so painfully not straight. And I’m sure you’re tired of using your hand.” He licked a spot under Marvin’s ear, “So, use me.” He whispered, pressing his hips into Marvin’s, causing both of them to moan and Marvin to mentally check if Trina was planning on stopping by his dorm in the morning.

 

“Fuck, okay.” Marvin whispered back before kissing Whizzer again, threading his hand into the man’s hair.

 

So, of course Marvin is alright, he is so alright with the fact that Whizzer is just like he was in college. He hasn’t changed. That’s alright. 

 

Marvin nods, “Yeah, sorry.” Maybe he’s just grown up and Whizzer hasn’t, “I’m just tired.” Or he’s outgrown Whizzer, gotten more mature. He’s just holding onto nostalgia and old feelings and this is nothing. Marvin doesn’t love Whizzer anymore.

 

However, that theory flies out of the window when he looks at Whizzer finally and sees the caring look on his face, eyes soft and lips curled into a tiny smile, only looking at Marvin. And God, it makes Marvin’s stomach fucking flip and dissolve into fuzzy particles, tickling his entire body.

 

“You wanna go?” Whizzer asks, crushing his sandwich wrapper into a ball, “Party’s gonna start soon.” He says, checking his phone.

 

Marvin nods again. He can’t help it. He can avoid bending to Whizzer’s every whim when he doesn’t see the man, but when he’s smiling or talking or doing anything, Marvin is more or less helpless.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Predictably, the club is loud. It’s way too loud for Marvin’s liking and the lights are so god damned bright and while a space was cleared for the bachelorette’s party, the club still seems packed with people.

 

“I am so happy you guys are in my life, this is gonna be an amazing night!” Cordelia yells over the music, leaning against the bar. She’s dressed in a white tank top covered in large pink letters that read “BRIDE TO BE” that contrasts Charlotte’s pink shirt that has the name words on it but in white. They glow, holding onto each other and Charlotte signals to the bartender to open the tab for the party’s guests, and the bachelorette’s party is officially set in motion.

 

Marvin catches glimpses of people after that, Trina and Mendel running off to a booth in a corner, both holding drinks, Danny walking off with Laura to the dance floor, something about Danny finding Laura eligible bachelors reaching Marvin’s ear. And Whizzer stands next to Marvin at the bar, hands clasped. They both wait for their drinks.

 

The bartender places a dry martini in front of Whizzer and a bottle of beer in front of Marvin. 

 

Whizzer shakes his head, “Typical.” 

 

“What?” Marvin laughs, taking a drink from the bottle.

 

“In the nine years I’ve known you,” he points his glass at Marvin, “You have never gotten another drink other than that gross off brand beer.”

 

“Hey, if it ain’t broke.” Marvin recites, shrugging.

 

Whizzer grins, watching Marvin thoughtfully, “I guess.”

 

Marvin, now slightly buzzed from the glass of wine he had before leaving the small restaurant to the club with Whizzer as well as the beer he is downing, feels better with Whizzer, less bitter. Less upset over manbun over on the dance floor with Laura.

 

“What have you been up to recently?” Marvin asks, realizing he never really asked what Whizzer did for a living.

 

“I’m a photographer for a vacation resort in Los Angeles.” He replies, drinking the rest of his martini and setting it down, giving his full attention to the conversation.

 

“Oh, so this isn’t much of a stretch of a vacation for you.” Marvin had always thought Whizzer would give up on the photography thing after college. It turns out he actually managed to turn it into a career.

 

“Nope,” Whizzer responds, “I wish I brought my camera. There have been some great things I wanted to capture in HD rather than on my phone.”

 

“Like what?” Marvin finds himself afraid of the answer.

 

Whizzer leans back against the bar, thinking. Then, he pulls out his phone, “I actually got some of them.”

 

He tilts the screen at Marvin and opens the photo album, showing him pictures from the past few days.

 

The first one is from the airplane, capturing Mendel laughing behind him at a furious Trina. Mendel is in the center, eyes scrunched up and teeth showing through his smile. Trina is just behind him, focusing on Marvin, who is just out of frame. Her eyes are angry and she seems to be reprimanding Marvin, bags in her hands just blurs of motion.

 

The next photo is one from the airport, catching Cordelia running over to the group, smiling widely and arms outstretched in a hug. Then, there’s a photo of Marvin sleeping on his hotel bed, light streaming in small lines through the blinds on his body. Marvin feels himself smiling at this one.

 

The final picture is of Danny at the bar. He’s looking forward at the wall of drinks, profile captured by the camera.

 

Marvin swallows and nods, “Those look great.” He says stiffly.

 

Whizzer frowns at the tone, “Hey, I do it professionally now.”

 

“No, I wasn’t,” being an asshole again, “They’re great,” Marvin says, “Honestly.”

 

“Right,” Whizzer laughs quietly, sliding his phone back into his pocket. He shakes his head as if to clear his head and then looks at Marvin, “Wanna dance?” He asks.

 

“Alright,” Marvin says, following an already departing Whizzer to the dance floor.

 

They walk into the group of dancing strangers, further into the center of the pumping music. Whizzer stops and turns around, facing Marvin. He slowly starts dancing, nodding at Marvin to do so as well.

 

They move in time with the music, beat intense and loud. It’s louder now, to the point where they can just hear each other from their spots, a feet or two away from one another.

 

Whizzer’s legs look intoxicating as his hips move, long limbs going on forever in those tight pants. Marvin tries to look away from them and dance, but then he looks at Whizzer’s arms, then his chest, then his face, then-

 

“You still working at that firm?” Whizzer asks over the music, continuing their previous conversation.

 

Marvin nods, “Yeah, they pay pretty well, so.” He says, shrugging at the man.

 

“It must be pretty worth it, the pay.” Whizzer replies, stepping closer to speak more coherently.

 

“Worth it?” Marvin asks.

 

Whizzer nods, “You know, to have to live in Philly.” He laughs.

 

Marvin shoves Whizzer lightheartedly, “Hey, Philly is fine!” He laughs back.

 

“Sure it is, babe.” Whizzer places his hands on Marvin’s shoulders, stepping closer. To speak. So Marvin can hear him.

 

Marvin grabs Whizzer’s hips in response, and nods, “It is, I swear.”

 

“The first step to fixing a problem,” Whizzer grins, “Is admitting you have one.”

 

“Whatever,” Marvin laughs.

 

“I’m glad you came.” Whizzer says, and he sounds like he means it.

 

Marvin says truthfully, “Me too.” He feels like a broken record, agreeing with Whizzer on everything, but it’s just so easy to.

 

“Are,” Whizzer stops for a moment to swallow and readjust his hands on Marvin’s shoulders, “Are you seeing anyone? At the moment?”

 

Marvin feels his heart jump and responds, “No.” As if that ever mattered to Whizzer.

 

Whizzer nods, continuing to dance.

 

The rest of the dance is odd, Marvin thinking too fast for his own good. Why would Whizzer ask if he was screwing Danny? Was that a one time thing? If Marvin gave in to every single fiber of his being and kissed Whizzer, would he be a one time thing? Would they fuck, then just go back to their respective homes, Marvin thinking of Whizzer every day and Whizzer not caring at all?

 

“Are you seeing anyone?” Marvin still finds himself asking.

 

Whizzer shakes his head, “No,” Liar. “No, I’m not.”

 

Then, Whizzer looks at Marvin, eyebrows furrowed. He smiles shakily, a look of questioning on his face.

 

What would happen if Marvin ignored his jealousy and nodded, kissing the worry lines on the other man’s face? 

 

The music around them grows louder, engulfing the two of them in a moment that feels too large to be held in such a casual location as this. It feels unreal, Whizzer’s hands like a constant and comforting presence on Marvin’s shoulders, like an anchor.

 

Marvin hears himself before he realizes he’s saying the words, “Are you sure you’re not seeing anyone? I find that very hard to believe, especially with you.”

 

Whizzer physically recoils, hands leaving Marvin’s shoulders. He frowns angrily, “What?”

 

And, even though guilt rises in Marvin’s stomach, he continues, “I mean, I just don’t think, with your track record, that you’re seriously single.” He ignores the sick feeling growing in him, the burning behind his eyes that occurs when he thinks of Whizzer and Danny. Thinks of them together, when Marvin is right fucking there.

 

Whizzer shakes his head, glaring at Marvin, “And to think, I thought you were less of a fucking douche than in college.”

 

“Typical, huh?” Marvin repeats Whizzer’s words, throat feeling tight. Whizzer opens his mouth to respond, but Marvin turns away and walks off before he has the chance.

 

Marvin stumbles out of the dance floor, eyes unfocused and legs feeling like gelatin. He searches for an empty booth to crash into. The only one not packed has just Danny in it, sipping a beer. Fuck it.

 

He walks to the booth and asks, “Is this seat taken?” 

 

Danny shakes his head and motions for Marvin to sit next to him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

In the relative darkness of the club, Marvin hasn’t managed to see Whizzer after he stormed off, the crowd moving as one on the dance floor. He’s probably off to find someone to replace Marvin tonight, at this point. 

 

Marvin finds himself not caring, though, engaged in a conversation with Danny about cooking. He likes Danny as a conversationalist in ways Whizzer isn’t: Danny listens to Marvin, Whizzer usually dominates the conversation when he can, creating a battle out of it that Marvin struggles to win, Danny laughs at Marvin’s jokes, Whizzer tells him how ridiculous they are.

 

He’s not mad at Danny. Danny didn’t ask to be conquested by Whizzer while Marvin was napping. He didn’t take Marvin’s heart and tear it apart.

 

Marvin buys himself a drink, but after that, more end up in his hand. Danny might be buying them for him. Marvin looks around again for Whizzer, scanning the dance floor for the tall man. He wants to make sure Whizzer isn’t too angry at him, but not as much as he wants to keep talking to Danny.

 

Danny sits close to Marvin, thighs touching. He smells like cologne, which Marvin doesn’t love, but it’s nice. He always preferred a subtle cologne and the natural scent of cotton and tea. But this suits Danny.

 

Marvin tells Danny about his life, his job, his friend or acquaintances in Philly, his parents, things he never really told Whizzer in fear of them being ignored. But Danny listens, and tells Marvin about his cooking goals, his classes, his time teaching small baking classes to children and their parents on the weekends.

 

Finally, Marvin asks, “So, what is it between you and Whizzer?” He looks at his drink to find it full again.

 

Danny laughs, and Marvin likes the sound of it, “I guess he didn’t tell you.”

 

Marvin shakes his head.

 

“It’s not my place to tell you, I’m sorry. But your turn: are you two…” He waves his hand for Marvin to fill in the blank.

 

Marvin takes a swig from his drink and laughs to himself. It’s slightly bitter and fruity, just like himself.

 

“What?” Danny laughs.

 

“Nothing, it’s just,” Marvin looks one more time for Whizzer, and only sees Mendel at the bar, “We’re not.”

 

“Really?” Danny sits back, raising his eyebrows.

 

Marvin cracks up, “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even care that I’m here. Just here for a few quick, exotic lays, or whatever before he runs back off to LA.”

 

“I doubt that.”

 

Marvin grins at Danny, placing his drink on the table. “I don’t”

 

“You know,” Danny says, smiling, perfect white smile intoxicating, “You’re cute when you’re drunk.”

 

“I’m always cute.” And that’s how Marvin knows he’s drunk. He’s saying shit like this.

 

Danny bites his lip and says, “That’s true.”

 

Marvin stops laughing.

 

Danny shifts closer and puts his arm around the back of the seat. His eyes look at Marvin’s lips. Marvin has to focus to see Danny properly. He’s handsome, like a classic surfer guy mixed with hipster clothing. He’s the type of guy Marvin would stare at in magazines but never actually talk to; his flutters a bit.

 

Danny gently takes Marvin by the chin and says, “Can I kiss you?”

 

“Okay,” Marvin replies.

 

Danny presses their lips together, gentle. Marvin tries not to think of Whizzer, tries not to compare, but he can’t help it- where Whizzer is passionate and demanding, Danny kisses softly, almost reverent.

 

Marvin gets lost in the kiss, lets himself slip into a state of blissful nothingness. It lasts for ages, Marvin’s drunken idea of time skewed against reality.

 

Well, until Whizzer says, “What the _fuck_ , Danny?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and sorry about the ending haha
> 
> PLEASE comment and kudos! I love comments so much, they are literally what motivate me to write. Let me know what you think about anYTHING!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fight, a rehearsal, and a breakdown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for this one.

Everything happens in a blur. One moment, Marvin’s making out with a painfully handsome catering chef who actually seems romantically inclined towards him. The next moment, he’s in the parking lot outside of a swanky club in Hawaii watching his former lover and the aforementioned caterer beat the hell out of each other.

He knows he should be doing something. Marvin should intervene or something, anything. But, for the life of him, he’s never imagined his life getting to a point where two men would be fighting over him. So, all he can do is watch dumbfounded as Danny grunts things like, “Get your shit together, Whizzer! Stop doing this to yourself!”

And Cordelia yells, “Stop it, you two! This is my fucking wedding you’re ruining!” She slaps Whizzer’s back in a drunken effort to stop the fight. Charlotte stands by Cordelia, yelling similar phrases at the two brawling men.

Then, Mendel rushes out of the club to break up the fight. He dodges a swinging fist just in time to avoid his nose from breaking. And, now Trina is yelling at her husband to stay out of it, and Danny is yelling at everyone to stay out of it, and Whizzer is grappling Danny to the ground.

“This is what happens when you fucking avoid your problems, Whizzer.” Danny grits out. He holds onto Whizzer’s shoulders, keeping the man’s fist from making contact with his face. Whizzer readjusts to free his arms from Danny’s grip, and in doing so, leaves his face open for a flying elbow to hit it.

Despite the sickening crack that resounds, the resulting pain doesn’t seem to halt Whizzer nor the already forming bruise on his cheekbone. “You’re the goddamn problem, you lousy excuse for a human being!”

“I am not the problem, and you know it!” Danny says.

“The fuck you aren’t,” Whizzer spits out, and he lands a punch on Danny’s, the man’s head whipping to its side, “He isn’t yours.”

And Marvin finally intervenes: “Not yours either.”

He doesn’t even say it very loudly, but that’s all it takes to get Whizzer’s attention, his eyes staring at Marvin, shocked, angered, and downright betrayed, just long enough for Danny to land an uppercut on his jaw. He falls backward and his head slams against the pavement. Lights out.

“Oh shit, I didn’t mean to do that.” Danny says, standing.

“At least he’s quiet now.” Marvin says, in shock at the sight of the bruised man on the ground. He feels a lump grow in his throat, and he doesn’t say anything else.

“God fucking damn it, Danny.” Cordelia says, rushing over to Whizzer’s unconscious body that Mendel and Charlotte are already hoisting over their shoulders. They wave her shaking hands away and walk over to the cab Trina called in a drunken panic, getting the man inside.

“We’ll take him back to the hotel.” Charlotte says, sitting in the cab next to Whizzer and Mendel getting in on the other side. Trina sits in the front, dialing another number, and they take off.

The three remaining people watch the cab drive down the trail.

Then, Cordelia turns around, pointing an angry glare at Marvin. “What the fuck is wrong with you.”

Marvin opens his mouth to respond, but Cordelia cuts him off, “No,” She points at him, “You don’t get to explain this to me. You don’t get to make him the bad guy here.” She shakes her head, and it feels like the whole mask of happiness and love for a jackass like Marvin is slipping off of her, revealing the side that Marvin always knew existed: the one that despises him for the idiot he is and for the way he treats her dear Whizzer so badly.

“You just had to kiss the first pretty face you saw? Why would you fucking do this?”

She sighs heavily, “I never should have invited you. I knew you were just gonna be trouble for Whizzer, and look at this.” She gestures to the faint blood marks on the pavement, “You did this.” Marvin avoids her eyes. Cordelia’s voice cracks when she says, “Are you really gonna cause him nothing but pain for the rest of his goddamned life?”

Cordelia threw open the door to Marvin’s dorm room, graduation gown bright and eyes blazing. Her eyes set upon Marvin, who was getting ready in front of his mirror, adjusting the cord on his gown, and walked toward him.

“I heard.” She said simply, knowing Marvin would understand what she meant.

“Damn, I can never really trust Trina with any secret,” Marvin said, shaking his head, continuing to adjust his cord so either side was even.

Cordelia slapped his hands away from his cord and hissed, “Are you seriously doing this, you idiot?”

Marvin turned to Cordelia, giving her a sardonic expression, “I’m a big boy, I can make my own decisions.”

“Yeah, but this one is really fucking dumb.”

“That,” Marvin says, “Is your opinion.”

Cordelia huffed, and then paced the room for a few seconds before facing Marvin again, angry look on her face, “You are such a fucking dumbass. You can’t just,” She gestured at him, “You can’t do this to him.”

Marvin shook his head, annoyed, “Cordelia, I really doubt he’ll even care,” He shrugged, “Or notice.”

“Why would you even think that?” Cordelia asked, “God, he looks at you like you hung the moon. You two are so in love.”

“Don’t say that.” Marvin grunted, grabbing his graduation cap roughly, “You don’t even know what you’re talking about.” He moved to walk out of his room.

Cordelia caught his hand, stopping him, “You’re gonna regret this.”

Marvin looked at Cordelia, “I’ll talk to you later. Now let’s go fucking graduate.” He shook her hand off of his and pushed past the angry woman.

“And you,” Cordelia says, turning to Danny, who is rubbing his bruised fist. She hits him with her purse, emphasizing each word, “I. Told. You. Anyone. But. Him.” He stumbles back and protects his face with his arms.

“Guys,” Laura says, coming out of the bar after talking with the bartender and settling checks, “Let’s just deal with this tomorrow when we are all sober and acting like adults. I’ll call us a cab.”

Cordelia stops her assault on Danny and her shoulders drop, “Fine.” Then, she points at Danny and Marvin, “But if you two do anything to further ruin this wedding, I am canceling your reservations and flying your asses home.”

* * *

Marvin sighs as he fumbles with the handle to his hotel room’s door tiredly after being subjected to another fifteen minutes of Cordelia reprimanding him and Danny in the cab. The door cracks open and he pushes it forward, walking into the dark room.

Instantly, he hears soft snoring from the barely used bed. Marvin turns on a lamp.

Whizzer is still passed out on the bed that no one had slept on since their arrival, but he seems to be less unconscious and more sleeping now. Marvin watches him for a moment, eyes taking in the sight of the bruise on Whizzer’s cheekbone and the larger and more purple one on his jaw.

Marvin remembers the look of utter shock on Whizzer’s face after Marvin practically said they would never amount to anything. Remembers the blood-curdling bang of his head hitting the pavement as he fell backward.

He looks away, a lump of guilt growing in his stomach and takes off his shoes. Marvin walks over to his own bed and climbs into it, exhaustion setting in. He falls asleep to the sound of Whizzer breathing.

* * *

Marvin awakens in the morning, his mouth feeling as if it were stuffed with cotton. He smacks his lips and sits up, blinking blearily. The sun from outside the widely drawn windows nearly blinds him.

He turns away from the light and looks at Whizzer’s bed. It’s empty. And impeccably made, as per usual for Whizzer.

Marvin gets up and shuffles to the bathroom, noting the absence of Whizzer all throughout the room.

He turns on the sink and splashes water onto his face, willing the tiredness away.

Moments from the night before begin to come to him: Whizzer and him dancing, Danny kissing him, Whizzer grabbing the back of Danny’s shirt and dragging him outside, Cordelia’s tear stricken, angry face.

“Fuck.” He mutters to himself, staring at himself in the mirror. His head throbs from a blinding hangover after far too many drinks. He struggles to focus on his reflection, trying to ignore the bags growing under his eyes or the frown that seems to have been plastered onto his face.

Then, his phone rings from the bedroom, high pitched tone blaring. Marvin groans and walks over to the bed, wiping his face with a towel. He doesn’t look at the phone before answering, something he regrets.

“Mmm?” He says in lieu of a greeting.

“You have approximately two options.” Charlotte says from the other end, “You can either get your ass down here, or I’m booking you a flight back to Philly right now.”

Marvin squints and pinches the bridge of his nose, sitting down on the bed, “How’s Whizzer?”

“Bruised up pretty badly. And that’s just his ego. Look, I’m more than ready to fly you home right now, but the rehearsal is today and we need all hands on deck for this, so get the hell downstairs.”

“Got it.” Marvin replies.

“Oh, and take a shower, I don’t want to smell the club on you.” And with that, Charlotte hangs up, leaving Marvin sitting on his bed in the same crumpled clothing as the night before. He decides to open his laptop and check in on work before getting ready for what feels like is going to turn out to be an exhausting day.

* * *

Marvin is very glad that Cordelia and Charlotte booked a hotel that was in the same building as the reception venue. Now he doesn’t have to endure the bright sun that comes with a vacation resort, and stay inside to walk around in a painfully awkward daze, trying to ignore glances from guests who had just arrived who had heard stories from the party.

Knowing Cordelia would dump piles of work onto him for the rehearsal later, Marvin devours a few muffins from the breakfast bar and nearly burns his mouth on cheap hotel coffee.

“Hey.” Danny says, standing next to Marvin at the coffee station.

Marvin nods, looking down at his coffee. Of course, Danny would talk to Marvin after what happened last night, and do it so suavely.

“Hey.” Marvin replies and looks at Danny.

Danny smiles a very small grin, minding the bruise on his cheek. “How you doing?”

Marvin laughs quietly, “All right, I guess. You?”

“Been better.” Danny says, pointing at the bruise on his face. He laughs too, and looks around for a second.

Marvin doesn’t reply, rather just sips on his coffee. They watch the busy activity of the reception venue, workers bustling about, trying to get chairs and decor in order for the night. Cordelia stands near the front, guiding them to their correct locations. She wears her typical apron from the shop, and her hair seems to be tied in a haphazard bun from the stress of past events. Marvin is glad she hasn’t noticed him yet.

Whizzer isn’t anywhere to be seen by Marvin. He feels slightly relieved at this, although his stomach gains a tightness to it when he thinks about the man.

Finally, Marvin admits to Danny, “I really didn’t mean for last night to happen.”

Danny shakes his head, grabbing his own tea and stirring it with a small stirring straw mindlessly, “Me neither.” He blinks a few times, “I didn’t want to do that to Whizzer. It really sucks.”

Marvin pushes aside the feeling of jealousy for the fact that Whizzer seems to be the center of everyone’s focus at all times and replies, “Yeah.”

Then, Charlotte yells at Mendel, who is moving a box, “That’s not where they go, turn to your left!” And Mendel exclaims, turning to his left quickly, nearly dropping the box.

“Well, I guess,” Marvin rubs the back of his neck, “I gotta go help out, now. Before everyone hates me more than they already do.”

Danny sips his tea, nodding. “Yeah, well.” He looks at Marvin, “But, if things,” He pauses, trying to rephrase, but fails, “If things don’t work out, let’s keep in touch. Yeah?”

“Okay.” Marvin says out of instinct, really. He doesn’t really enjoy the idea of being kept on Danny’s back burner in case the man doesn’t work things out with Marvin’s ex or whatever they are now.

But, that’s just another lousy thing about today.

* * *

Marvin isn’t really sure why Cordelia and Charlotte didn’t kick him out of the wedding as soon as his lips touched Danny’s. Or why they still allowed him to come to the rehearsal, but he guesses it’s just so they could torture him with menial tasks that remind him far too much of his work back home.

But, as he directs flower arrangements to one direction and pints of guava juice to another, he finds himself slipping into a calm mindset of nothingness. He writes on a clipboard, answers questions, and moves chairs. He does this for hours, prepping for the rehearsal and the dinner and the dance and everything that a paid worker should be doing.

It’s almost therapeutic, though, and when he finishes his tasks, after the sun sets gracefully, the air turning cool, he slumps gratefully into a chair in the corner of the hall.

He feels like an outsider here. Like he’s intruding on this familial time, just some ridiculous advertising agent from Philadelphia trying to wedge himself back into a group he, himself, left years ago. Rock music blares from speakers across the hall. Cordelia and Charlotte practice dancing to it, a few feet away from Marvin. He watches them with sad eyes, catching their smiles and kisses with his gaze.

Then, Whizzer walks from a room and saunters over to the couple. Marvin busies himself with his phone to avoid any contact with anyone ever in this moment.

Even though he’s not looking, he can practically feel the apprehension that radiates from Cordelia, but Charlotte placates it with, “Jesus Christ, you look terrible.”

Whizzer laughs and responds, “You look good too, honey.” And just like that, the awkward bubble has been popped and the three joke around as Marvin sits in his chair, scrolling back and forth on the different pages of his home screen on his phone.

Marvin glances up a few times from his phone, but Whizzer is never looking back at him. Just enjoying his time with anyone but Marvin.

Before much time passes, the minister arrives and they begin the rehearsal.

Everyone gets in order to walk down the aisle: Charlotte’s parents with Charlotte, then Laura and Whizzer, then Trina and Mendel, followed by the cruel pairing of Marvin and Danny, then finally Cordelia’s parents with Cordelia. Marvin can hardly believe his luck.

Marvin stays silent, watching Whizzer ignore him and chat with Laura. Probably sharing best man and woman stories, whatever those are. Marvin wouldn’t know.

There’s a quiet moment, with soft string music in the background, as Charlotte walks with her parents down the aisle, grinning widely at them. She hugs them and takes her place at the altar with the minister, and her parents sit down in the front row.

Whizzer holds out his arm for Laura, who grins and takes it. They walk down the aisle, almost ethereally, both in dashing clothing, Laura in a dress and Whizzer in a suit similar to the one he will wear for the actual wedding. They glide down the aisle, smiling at Charlotte, before separating to opposite sides of the altar.

Trina and Mendel walk quickly down the aisle, never a couple much for rhythm or grace, and Mendel nearly hugs Charlotte at the end of the aisle before Trina slaps his back, laughing. They split and stand on either side of the altar, Mendel behind Whizzer and Trina behind Laura.

Finally, Danny glances at Marvin, holding out his arm. Marvin looks at it, then, unconsciously looks up and sees Whizzer eyeing him disdainfully. He feels the sharp edge of his gaze pierce his heart, almost as if Whizzer was saying ‘Really? Him?’

Fuck this. Fuck always feeling like he had to prove something to Whizzer. Fuck this tightness in his chest every time he sees Whizzer. Fuck Danny and his boyish charm and kind eyes that Marvin could never truly enjoy in fear of what Whizzer would do. Fuck Whizzer for keeping such a hold on Marvin after five goddamn years. And fuck Cordelia for inviting Marvin.

Marvin shakily steps backward, and then, ignoring the gaze of everyone, he turns on his heel and walks out of the hall. He ignores the voices behind him. He doesn’t give a fuck if he has to go back to Philly right now, because anything is better than looking into Whizzer’s eyes for another second.

* * *

Happy hour is the best hour. Marvin knocks back another Mai Tai or whatever the bartender told him it was called and slams the glass down, sighing heavily.

He feels the exhaustion of the day set in, the hours of organization getting to him. Marvin orders another drink.

“Shit, there you are.”

Marvin swivels around in his stool and faces Whizzer. He would normally feel his heart drop, but the alcohol in his system might be keeping it afloat in his chest. Score.

“What do you want, Whizzer?” Marvin asks, grabbing his drink from the counter.

Whizzer runs a hand through his hair, shaking his head at Marvin, “We’ve got the rehearsal dinner in like ten minutes.”

“What,” Marvin laughs loudly, swirling the drink in his glass, “And you think I’m going?”

Whizzer grits his teeth, folding his arms, “We’re both going.”

“Why do you think that?” As if Marvin could just go into an awkward dinner full of people who hate his guts and stomach food during that. Sitting next to Whizzer.

“Look-” Whizzer starts, but Marvin stops him, putting his drink on the counter.

“No,” Marvin says, pointing at Whizzer, “You don’t get to do this-make me the bad guy again. You already did that all fucking day, when I was being practically shunned by everyone.” He ignores the hurt look on Whizzer’s face, “You’re blaming me for kissing Danny when you _fucked him_!”

“What the hell, Marv-”

“Don’t try to act like you didn’t.” Marvin interrupts, “Why can’t I kiss a cute guy, anyway?” He shrugs, “We aren’t together! Fuck, we haven’t been for years!”

Whizzer raises his voice, too, “ _That_ is not my fault!”

“Oh, here we go, blaming me again!” Marvin laughs, throwing his hands up. This feels like an explosion, but not like one that actually fixes anything. Just destroys everything in its path.

“I am blaming you for fucking dumping me out of the blue, you asshole!” Whizzer glares at Marvin, “I’ve been nothing but polite to you this entire vacation, and you pull shit like this?”

“Oh, polite? Is that what you call flaunting your conquests in my face?”

“Why would you even care? We aren’t together.” Whizzer frowns, “Just like you said. It’s ridiculous to even think otherwise. You’re still as much of a mess as you were back then.”

“Right back at ‘cha, babe.” Marvin mocks.

Whizzer’s face goes from angry to a stone cold iciness, something Marvin always hated when they were together. “I’m not lowering to your level. Come to the dinner or not, I don’t care.” He says, “But, I care about you Marvin, believe it or not. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He looks over Marvin once more, and turns away, slowly walking out of the empty bar.

Marvin watches him leave. He turns back to his drink and downs the rest of it in one go. Slapping a few twenties on the counter, he leaves the bar and goes to his room to sleep off this fuzzy feeling in his head.

* * *

Marvin awakens from his drunk nap by a rapping knock at his door.

“Can I come in?” Trina asks from the other side.

“Yeah.” Marvin calls out, sitting up. He rubs the drowsiness from his eyes and smiles lightly at Trina, who takes off her purse and sits down on the bed next to Marvin.

She rubs his back, “You okay? Whizzer told me about your meltdown in the bar.”

Marvin sighs, “Yeah. I didn’t mean to be such a dick.”

“Isn’t that all the time?” Trina laughs.

“I guess.” Marvin laughs too, then stops. He looks at Trina for a moment. He frowns.

Trina sighs, “You know, sometimes we outgrow people.” She says, continuing to rub Marvin’s back. This feels like freshman year, Trina visiting Marvin’s room and comforting him about some bad grade or family drama or something, rubbing his back in small circles and talking. “That doesn’t mean you can’t stay friends. Or acquaintances.” She mutters, grinning.

Marvin lets out a shuddering sob, dropping his face into his hands. Being overly emotional while drunk seems to be a great track record this vacation.

“Baby,” Trina whispers, “What’s wrong?”

Marvin feels tears trail down his face, and he wipes them away. He tries to speak clearly through the lump in his throat, but it comes out deep and scratchy. “I’m such a goddamn mess.”

“Well, we knew that.” She chuckles.

“I love Whizzer.” Marvin says, body shaking harder now at the admission that just managed to escape his lips, “Still. Now.” He whispers. It feels like an immense weight has lifted off of his chest, from crushing him to just a dull pain. The words that had never dared to leave Marvin’s mouth or even cross his mind brand themselves into his brain, reminding him of how goddamn stupid he is.

God, he loves Whizzer.

Trina pauses for a moment. Then, she swallows and responds carefully, “Well, we knew that, too.”

Marvin looks up, “What?” So, everyone knows how head over heels he is over Whizzer. They all know. They all know he can’t get over a college boyfriend for the life of him. That he’s an idiot who can’t articulate his own feelings until 5 years have passed.

“Does Whizzer know?” Marvin asks after a quiet moment.

“I think he’s the only one who doesn’t, the blind fool.” Trina wraps her arms around Marvin, now properly holding him. He tightens his arms around her, and buries his face in her neck. He remembers his dog dying when he was a child, and him being held like this by his mother as he cried, but somehow this hurts more. This hurts so much more.

“I shouldn’t have come,” Marvin says into her neck, muffled. He feels more tears roll down his face, a result of his breakdown coupled with the alcohol in his system, “I shouldn’t have come.” He repeats. She shushes him, petting his hair and holding him tight. He sobs into her neck, feeling his throat ache at the severity of his cries.

“I shouldn’t have come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I didn't expect for this one to turn out sad. Oh boy. Sorry, guys. It's coming to a close soon, though. Just a few more chapters. Thank you for reading :) 
> 
> Please kudos and COMMENT! They are literally my favorite things in the entire world, please let me know what you thought.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wedding ceremony, a speech, and a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I posted this a day late! But, this is sorta part one of the wedding day :) Hope you enjoy!

Marvin’s phone goes off at an ungodly hour. But, it doesn’t matter because he’s already awake. After Trina’s visit and Marvin’s admission, it seemed pretty impossible for him to fall asleep, tossing and turning all night until he just opted to stay up.

The waves crash on the coast, filling the silence of the empty beach witnessing the first visible signs of the sunrise. Marvin sits on a beach chair, wind tossing his hair in multiple directions. He squints at the sea, breathing deeply. He reaches down and grabs his phone, answering it.

“Yeah?” He watches the waves crash over one another, colored orange from the rising sun.

“Marvin. I’m at your room, where are you?” Laura asks. She sounds stressed. Well, it is the wedding day, after all.

“Outside.” He responds, picking at lint on his pants.

“We need you to help out.”

Marvin snorts, “I’ve heard that before.” He says, remembering the day before and his subsequent storming out of the reception hall.

“Please.”

He sighs. He really could have used these extra moments alone with the Pacific Ocean. But, not-best man duty calls. “I’ll be there in ten.”

* * *

What Laura didn’t tell Marvin on their brief phone call, is that the wedding is a fucking mess. Cordelia’s dress is malfunctioning, the salmon option for the guests’ dinner has some tragic health code issue, Aunt Caroline is missing, and the chairs haven’t arrived yet. So, of course, Marvin was called to clean up everything.

“Where’s the best man to help deal with this?” Marvin asks, a bluetooth earpiece in his ear and Ipad in his hands.

Cordelia slaps him on the elbow, “He’s helping in his own way, we need you for this stuff.”

“The boring stuff?”

“Exactly.” Cordelia touches her nose with her index finger, winking at him. “I gotta go see if mom has made any progress on my dress.” She kisses Marvin on the cheek and leaves him alone to do the work the best man or the brides or literally anyone else should be doing.

 

“She killing you already?” Mendel walks up to Marvin, sipping from a purple cup and giving Marvin the smuggest god damned smile he has ever seen in his entire life.

Marvin taps a few items on the to do list opened on the IPad, “Let me guess, she gave you nothing to do after you ‘pulled a muscle’ carrying those boxes of oranges yesterday?”

Another sip, the fucker, “You know it.”

“I don’t get it,” Marvin shakes his head, “I’m the last person she invited, why the fuck am I doing all the work?”

Mendel shrugs, leaning against the wall. “Maybe she thinks you’re the most capable person for the job.” He takes a long sip from his cup, “Or,” He shrugs, “She’s punishing you.”

“What, for walking out of rehearsal?” Marvin drags, “Or me kissing Danny? Because it seems like I’m always doing the wrong thing, no matter what I do.”

“Maybe you are.” Mendel smiles innocently at Marvin.

Marvin glares at him, “Why don’t you go pluck a tune on your guitar while I plan this entire wedding.” And walks away from the human embodiment of a headache.

“I didn’t pack my guitar, but that’s a great idea!”

* * *

As it turns out, the usher for the event didn’t bother to notify the brides that his flight was cancelled until just now, so of course that wonderful baton has been passed onto Marvin.

“Charlotte or Cordelia?” He asks an old woman who takes a program from his hands.

She squints at him, “You’re that boy Cordelia and Whizzer know.”

“Marvin.” He responds, holding out his hand.

The woman shakes his hand and tilts her head, “Dee-Dee told me a lot about you.”

“That’s great.” He can’t help but feel his heart swell at that knowledge, “The seats for her family are on the right, ma’am.”

“I’m her grandmother. Call me Karen.”

Whizzer laughed, showing Marvin an old picture from his Instagram. He pointed at his younger, high school form standing next to Cordelia and an older woman.

“I knew ‘Delia in high school.” He said, snuggling closer to Marvin’s body. They sat on Marvin’s couch. It had been a year since they got together, and Whizzer had just introduced Marvin and Trina and Mendel to Cordelia and Charlotte the day before.

“And who is that?” Marvin mumbled, pointing at the woman.

Whizzer smiled, but it seemed subdued, “That’s her grandmom, Karen.” He flipped to the next photo, one of him at prom in front of an inflatable Eiffel Tower, “I went over to ‘Delia’s house nearly every day. I slept there sometimes. And Karen would always be there, even if ‘Delia was out at work or something. She would make me a sandwich and listen to me when I talked to her, working on some crocheting project or another.”

He paused, staring ahead with soft frown forming at the corners of his mouth.

Marvin adjusted, facing Whizzer. He tightened his grip on Whizzer’s thigh slightly, “You okay?”

Whizzer nodded, “Yeah, It’s just,” He sighed, “I miss her, I guess. Back home. She was always there for me, when my parents were just,” He laughed quietly, “Not.”

“Your parents?”

Whizzer shook his head, and then smiled at Marvin, “That’s a story for another time, babe.”

Marvin nods, feeling nervous for a moment, “Alright, Karen,” He smiles at her, “Right over there.” He points at Cordelia’s side of the hall.

She smiles at him, and walks over to the front row on the right side of the hall. Marvin watches her go, then turns his attention to the next guest, remembering the few serious talks about family and past pain he had had with Whizzer.

Maybe Marvin will be a part of the past Whizzer would tell his next boyfriend about.

* * *

When most of the guests have arrived, Marvin thankfully rips the obnoxious bluetooth piece out of his ear and shoves it into his suit pocket. The guests are sitting in the correct sides, the food has arrived, and the sun is shining outside for the perfect post-reception beach party. The altar is decorated with fairy lights and baby blue and grey flowers, matching the wedding party’s attire. All is well.

“Marvin!” Trina calls from the entrance of the hall. He turns and she smiles at him, gesturing for him to join the rest of the wedding party before the ceremony begins.

The guests chatter about the brides and the family and ‘how do you know the bride-Charlotte, that is’ and it all fades to ambient sound as Marvin leaves the reception room into the hall. The wedding party, plus the brides, stand in the hall, holding hands in a circle that seems reminiscent of a prayer circle before a low budget, middle school play.

Cordelia looks at Marvin, and opens her palm towards him. He grabs it and Trina reaches for his other hand.

Cordelia sniffles and smiles, “I am so grateful you all made it this week.” She reaches her hand up and dabs her eyes with her wrist, “I love you guys so much.” She squeezes Marvin’s hand, almost saying a silent ‘I forgive you and I love you’ in just a motion of the hand.

Marvin looks up from the floor, and the person immediately in front of him in the circle is Whizzer. Whizzer stands there, holding Mendel and Laura’s hands, in his amazingly unwrinkled grey suit and recently pressed blue tie, looking at Cordelia lovingly. Marvin watches him.

Charlotte continues, looking down, “You are my best friends.” She shakes her head, looking up at everyone now, her soft updo moving slightly, “Thank you for coming.”

“Now let’s get fucking married.” Cordelia says.

* * *

Marvin watches from behind Trina as Charlotte and her parents walk down the aisle, quiet stringed music playing around them. Charlotte smiles at the guests as she passes them. She looks like she’s absolutely glowing. Marvin supposes he would be if he were marrying his high school sweetheart in Hawaii as well.

She and her parents stop at the altar, and they both kiss her on the cheek as she takes her place next to the officiant. Charlotte smiles at the wedding party, a soft look on her face that Marvin only ever saw directed at Cordelia.

Then, the flower boy trudges down the aisle. Jay, a cousin on Cordelia’s side, looks around solemnly in his little blue suit, dark brown hair in a curly mess on his head. Marvin appreciates the effort the kid is obviously projecting so as to not fuck the ceremony up, but the steely look in his eyes as he looks back is enough to make Marvin glare and shake his head. Jay’s eyes widen and he turns back around, shoving his small hand into the basket and tossing the flower petals onto the floor haphazardly, walking down the aisle briskly.

Marvin is snapped out of watching the kid when Whizzer and Laura walk, linking arms. They walk towards Charlotte. Charlotte laughs at something Whizzer mouths at her, hiding her snickering with her hand. Laura shakes her head at the two.

When they reach the altar, Laura reaches forward and hugs Charlotte, swaying from side to side, and whispering something into the bride’s ear, who grins, eyes watering Then, Whizzer hugs her after the two separate. He pats her back a few times, smiling into her neck.

Just as Whizzer and Laura move to their respective sides, Trina and Mendel step forward. Mendel walks just as giddily as the rehearsal would indicate, his legs bouncing on each step. Trina steadies him, holding onto his arm tightly, slightly laughing at her husband.

Charlotte hugs the two of them at the same time, saying something to the two of them. They smile and nod, moving to either side of the altar.

“Ready to go?” Danny murmurs, holding out his arm to Marvin.

Marvin nods, linking arms with the man.

He is acutely aware of the eyes on him. Eyes that communicate ‘Who is he?’ and ‘Why is he here?’

But, his underlying anxiety is completely overshadowed by the look in Whizzer’s eyes that Marvin can’t help but notice.

As Marvin walks down the aisle, he keeps his eyes on Whizzer. At the slightly furrowed brow. At the contemplative look in his eyes, looking at the back of the room, not at Marvin. At the barely imperceptible fidgeting his hands seem to be performing. At his small frown.

Danny separates from Marvin and hugs Charlotte. “Thank you.” He whispers into her ear, for a meaning Marvin can’t comprehend as he keeps his eyes on Whizzer.

He finally breaks the gaze when he hugs Charlotte tightly, “Take care of each other.” He whispers, voice shaking slightly.

“I should be telling you the same thing.” She whispers back. Marvin pulls back, looking at her confused, until he hears the wedding march song begin.

Trying to forget Charlotte’s words, he moves to his side of the altar, next to Whizzer, who keeps his eyes trained on the hall.

Everyone strains back in their chairs to see Cordelia and her parents walk down the aisle. She holds onto her parent’s arms, grinning widely. Her ivory gown drapes over her body like water, train trailing behind her. A blue bouquet is gripped in her fist. Then, her eyes meet Charlotte’s at the end of the aisle and her smile becomes impossibly wider- just two lovers, hanging out at the beach.

As she walks down the aisle, Marvin remembers yesterday, Cordelia and Charlotte dancing in a quiet corner of the reception hall. He compares it to now, same place, same people. The only difference is that they’re dressed formally. Marvin always imagined marriage to be some grand affair, but this feels simple. Easy.

This is what a wedding is supposed to be, Marvin thinks. Not the first day of a new life, but a day to dress up and show everyone you know how much you already love each other. Just another day in a long line of them.

Cordelia kisses her parents cheeks, passes her bouquet to Whizzer, and takes her place at the altar, holding Charlotte’s hands in hers. The officiant speaks, some speech about companionship and family and love. Marvin attempts to tune it out, but fails, not when he’s been given both the family and the companionship he’s always wanted this weekend, but he has to give it up after tomorrow. He has to go back to this empty apartment. His job that has been emailing him the entirety of his vacation that he has yet to check. Never seeing Whizzer again.

He looks over to the right of Cordelia, where Whizzer stands tall and glaringly handsome while he watches the brides. His hair is done perfectly, as usual. But, Marvin catches the slight tremble of his lip, the glassiness of his eyes, how they dart to Marvin’s own. They meet each other’s eyes for the first time since last night. Marvin swallows thickly and tries to breathe, and has to avert his attention toward anything but the terrible, lonely ending awaiting him.

Marvin wipes his eyes and manages to tune out the rest of the ceremony.

* * *

“Why didn’t you get Trina to do this?” Marvin asks, fumbling with ribbons that attach to ribbons that are god knows where on the back of Cordelia’s dress. Of course the dress she chose was one without zippers or anything that would make this easy in any way.

“If you haven’t noticed, Trina got drunk right after the ceremony and is outside making out with Mendel.”

“But, can’t she take apart this damn hustle thing for your reception? She did it at her wedding, I assume.”

“It’s called a bustle, asshole.” She swings her foot back and hits Marvin’s knee, who pinches her shoulder in response. She yelps.

“Stay still, or you’ll be forced to have your first dance in this sheath.”

She lets out an indignant grunt. He takes a ribbon out of a hole and loops it around another, untangling the knots. As he unties a bow, Cordelia says to him, “You know, we all love you. We were mad for a moment, but now we’re not.”

“Oh?” Marvin says, trying not to seem interested in the use of ‘we’.

“Whizzer doesn’t hate you, Marv.”

“Sure doesn’t seem like it.” He snorts, untying another loop.

Cordelia stomps, frustrated, “He doesn’t! In fact, he’s far from hating you. You should know that from his reaction to you kissing Danny, which I still don’t appreciate, mind you.”

Marvin shakes his head, pulling a ribbon out of the dress, “He slept with Danny, so you shouldn’t be angrier at me, ‘Delia.”

“What?” Cordelia exclaims, twisting around. Marvin pushes her back away and continues untying. Cordelia shakes her head, crossing her arms, “He did fucking not!”

“Please, don’t spare me.”

“Marvin, what the hell? He did not sleep with Danny! You think I would let him do anything like that to my god damned employee? Gross!”

Then, she stops. “Wait,” She says, a smug smile forming as she talks through her realization, “You were jealous. Oh my god, you still have feelings for him too.”

Marvin groans and spins her around, holding her shoulders, “Yes, I have feelings for Whizzer. A lot of feelings. Too many feelings.” And, unlike last night, it feels like he’s lighter. Like the air is clearer, like it felt when he stepped off the plane on Hawaiian land.

She’s still smiling, “So, what’s the problem? You like him, he likes you.”

“He does not have feelings for me anymore.”

“Oh my god, Marvin, this isn’t some high school crush situation. God fuck, you two dated for like three years in college and it only ended because you were, what? An asshole who wanted a career more than the love of your life?”

“It’s more than that.”

Cordelia laughs, “I don’t care Marv! You are different people now. Better people.”

“But-”

“No, you are going to go out there and ask out my best man. You’re perfect for each other and you know it.”

Marvin turns Cordelia around and pulls the final ribbon, his jaw set. He has to do this now, or never do it. “You’re right ‘Delia. I have to fix this.” He hands her the reception dress.

She takes it and smiles, “I know you’ll get there, Marv.”

* * *

Everything has been accounted for. The food has arrived. The decorations are set. Everyone is at their seats, the wedding party at the head table, the guests at their own tables. It’s all perfect, and it’s over. The work is over.

Marvin slumps back in his chair, sighing heavily. Mendel laughs quietly at his pain and nudges him with his elbow, “You need come coffee?”

“Need a condom?” Marvin points in the direction of Trina, walking back to the table with a glass of wine, giving Mendel the most obscene bedroom eyes that Marvin considers moving the kids’ table to a different room.

Mendel laughs and whatever he tries to say next is interrupted by the sharp trill of a fork being tapped against a champagne glass directly next to Marvin.

Whizzer stands up, holding a microphone. “Hey everyone.” He says, looking around the room, smiling.

“Uh, I didn’t have a whole grand speech prepared because I feel like Cordelia and Charlotte aren’t the types who want a formal, rehearsed thing thrown at them.” He smiles at them, hair bouncing slightly. They grin back, leaning against each other.

“I just want to say, Cordelia was my best friend in high school and is still my best friend to this day, even though there are a couple thousand miles between us now. And then Charlotte came into our lives senior year and then it was us three. It would have been so easy for them to place their relationship into the friendship box, and be done with it. Ignore it. So they wouldn’t ruin what they had. And I remember-” He pauses and looks at Cordelia and Charlotte, giving them a half smile, “Sorry, I have to tell this story.”

Cordelia mouths ‘don’t you dare’, while Charlotte nods, grinning widely.

“I was in class with Cordelia one day, and I wasn’t paying attention in class. So, I needed to copy Cordelia’s notes. But instead of asking, I just took them and,” He says, half-laughing between his words, “And on the margins of the pages she had, all these hearts and flowers and in them was written C + C.”

Cordelia buries her face in her hands and Charlotte pats her back, smiling at her.

“Of course, I was like ‘Who the hell is C.C.?” The room laughs at this and he continues, “But, of course, I was suspicious so I ran an experiment the next day. We were driving home one day and I asked her, ‘Do you have a crush on Charlotte?’” And Whizzer looks at the audience, shaking his head, “And that’s when I knew. She went crazy, face red and eyes huge. The entire drive, she was like ‘Shut up, I do not.’ I said nothing and then she said ‘I don’t, I swear. You believe me, right?’ And, ‘I don’t like her that way, she’s like my best friend. I mean I like her but I don’t _like_ like her.’ The entire drive, I was silent and she kept digging herself deeper in this hole.’”

“This story has a tragic ending, however, because I caught them making out in my bedroom a month later.” Everyone laughs, including Cordelia and Charlotte. He lifts his glass, “It’s never easy to leap from friends to something more. It takes patience and courage and commitment, which most of us-” He glances at Marvin. Their eyes meet. Whizzer’s eyes are filled with remorse. “-Which most of us don’t have.” He pauses for an agonizing moment, “But you two have it in endless amounts, which means your love will last forever.” He raises his glass. “To Cordelia and Charlotte.”

Everyone repeats the words and clinks their glasses. Marvin drinks the entire glass of champagne and sets it down, breathing heavily.

Whizzer passes off the microphone to Laura, who begins to give her speech. He sits down, unbuttoning his suit jacket and scoots in closer to the table.

Marvin takes a leap of courage and murmurs, “That was some speech.”

Whizzer blinks and looks at Marvin, eyes curious, “Thanks.” He says.

“Hard to believe it wasn’t rehearsed.”

Whizzer smiles lightly, “You got me.”

Marvin smiles back, “You and your theatrics.” He says quietly, trying not to distract from Laura’s speech that he doesn’t bother to listen to.

Whizzer tilts his head, “You know me, babe.”

“Yeah,” Marvin breathes, “I guess I do.”

It’s not an apology. It’s not going to heal them. It’s not an admission of love. Hell, it isn’t Marvin asking Whizzer out to lunch. But, in this moment, Marvin truly feels like everything will be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe the last chapters are creeping up. I love you guys a lot, thank you so much for reading and supporting this fic. 
> 
> PLEASE comment (& kudos), every single one brightens up my day and motivates me to keep writing. I love you!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dance and some much-needed discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I know. I've taken a while to update this story. I'm sorry but I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's the second to last!! aaaa

Marvin downs another glass of champagne, sighing heavily. The music of the first dance echoes throughout the hall, soft strings playing. 

“They look beautiful, don’t they?” Whizzer mutters, jerking his thumb in the direction of Cordelia and Charlotte holding each other in a tight embrace, swaying to the music. Their eyes are closed, and they smile, in their own little world.

Nodding, Marvin sits forward, resting his arms on the table, “They sure do.”

The two watch the brides dance, sitting in less than comfortable silence. Marvin’s heart beats slightly louder than usual.

“You think we coulda’ been like that?” Whizzer asks simply.

Marvin looks at him. Whizzer’s eyes are trained on the two women, maybe to avoid looking at Marvin after the question.

Then, Marvin looks back at the couple. Charlotte laughs slightly when Cordelia stumbles on her heels. She steadies the blonde woman and they continue dancing, eyes closed all the while. Cordelia’s fingers trace circles onto Charlotte’s back.

“Maybe.” Marvin breathes out.

Another moment of silence, the two watching the outright display of love in front of them. Marvin’s chest tightens, watching them. Watching their happiness.

“Look,” Whizzer says, “Sorry, I’m not trying to make anything weird. Just,” He pauses, “I don’t want to leave this week knowing we can’t talk. Again.”

“Me neither.” Marvin says.

“Friends?” Whizzer holds out his hand.

Marvin looks at it for a moment, then shakes it. “Friends.” Although, he can feel something in his stomach drop as he says it.

Whizzer smiles lightly, then he turns his head to something else, “Oh, Mendel is calling me over.” He shrugs, “Talk to you in a bit, babe.” And with that, he pushes back his chair and walks over to the drunken man and his equally drunk wife.

Marvin sits there, head spinning slightly. How the hell can he act like he and Whizzer are just friends when Whizzer nonchalantly calls him that pet name? How can he act like they’re just friends when every single time he sees Whizzer, despite the arguing and the heartbreak, he still wants to hold the taller man and never let go?

He calls for another glass of champagne.

“How many drinks have you had?” Marvin laughed, closing the door behind a stumbling Whizzer.

Whizzer shook his head, pulling off his shoes, “Too many.” He slurred.

Marvin walked forward and grabbed Whizzer’s waist, guiding him to Marvin’s small dorm room bed. Whizzer plopped down onto the bed ungracefully, grabbing a pillow. Marvin sat down next to the man, rubbing his thigh. 

“Rough night?” Marvin asked.

Whizzer nodded into the pillow. “Went to the club.”

Marvin sighed, anger growing in his chest. “Great.” He muttered.

“No, not like that.” Whizzer swore, raising his head and squinting at the light. “Went with ‘Delia.”

“Right.” Marvin said, unconvinced.

Whizzer sat up and grabbed Marvin’s arm, leaning against him, “I don’t like any other guys, babe,” He stumbles over his words, “They’re all assholes.”

“Like me?”

Whizzer laughs loudly, gripping Marvin’s arm tighter, “Not like you.”

“Like what, then?” Marvin asked, mentally rescheduling a time to do his economics assignment now that this is occupying his time. 

“Like,” Whizzer paused, searching for the words, “They don’t mean the things they say. They’re assholes ‘cause they lie. That I’m pretty or they wanna spend time with me.” He slurred.

Marvin nudged Whizzer’s shoulder, “You are pretty, though.”

Whizzer snorted, “I know I am. Jus’ wanted to hear you say it.”

“And I like spending time with you.” Marvin said softly, moving his hand up to Whizzer’s hair and running it through the soft strands.

“That’s why you’re different.” Whizzer mumbled. “You’re an asshole ‘cause you say mean things, but you mean them. They say things they don’t mean.”

Marvin hummed, massaging Whizzer’s scalp, making him sigh.

“And you?” Marvin asked, “Which are you?”

“Hm?” Whizzer opened his eyes, looking at Marvin.

“I tell the truth about things, they lie. What about you?”

Whizzer thought for a moment, eyebrows furrowed. 

Then, he smiled, “I think I tell the truth.”

Marvin laughed, “Oh yeah?” He thought back to late nights as Whizzer slipped into the room after a one night stand with a random, mumbling ‘it was nothing’s to Marvin, “Tell me one.”

Whizzer shrugged, adjusting his body on Marvin’s side.

“I love you.” Whizzer said, eyes closed again.

Marvin’s hand stilled. “What?” He asked shakily.

“That’s a truth.” Whizzer yawned and let go of Marvin’s arm, lying down on the covers. 

“No it’s not.” Marvin whispered. His heart raced. He shook his head, “No it’s not.” He repeated.

But, Whizzer was already asleep. And in the morning, he wouldn’t remember a thing from that night. 

And he would never say those words to Marvin again in their college lived relationship. And Marvin wouldn’t either.

* * *

After the first dance, and before all guests are allowed on the dance floor, the cake cutting ceremony occurs. Marvin isn’t sure why this is so, but he didn’t plan the wedding. He was just pulled into making it happen.

As Marvin stands around the cake with the wedding party, Whizzer somehow makes his way next to him again. Marvin pretends not to be affected, nodding at the man.

Marvin redirects his attention to Charlotte, who grabs the ceremonial knife and holds it toward Cordelia. She smiles and places her hand over Charlotte’s, grabbing the knife with her. They reach forward and cut into the middle tier of the cake, slicing through.

Whizzer nudges Marvin, and when he looks over at him, Whizzer mouths ‘Bet on it?’, and mimes mushing a cake slice into his face. 

Marvin laughs quietly, and shakes his head, ‘They wouldn’t’.

Whizzer tilts his head and raises his eyebrows in a perfect ‘really?’ face. Then, he points at the brides.

And, as if on cue, Cordelia grabs a piece of the slice and swipes the side of it onto Charlotte’s cheek, painting a streak of blue icing. Charlotte gasps and retaliates, stamping Cordelia’s face with another piece of cake.

“Told you.” Whizzer whispers into Marvin’s ear, making the man’s spine tingle.

Marvin looks up at Whizzer, who has the widest grin on his face as he watches Cordelia and Charlotte play fight over cake. Then, Whizzer looks back at Marvin. And he smiles wider.

Fuck.

A fluttering feeling erupts throughout Marvin’s body as he looks at Whizzer’s smiling face, eyes scrunched up in glee.

There is no way Marvin is going to survive for another day of this. 

Marvin looks away from Whizzer to avoid reaching up and slamming their lips together. He watches a line gather by the cake, slices being served to each guest.

“Marvy!” Mendel shouts, throwing his arm over Marvin’s shoulders, “I need to talk to you!” He says, no doubt deaf to his voice’s volume.

“Why?” Marvin asks, but Mendel is already pulling him away from Whizzer’s side. “What the hell, Mendel?” He tries to break free of Mendel’s grip, but by the time he wrestles his way out of the man’s arms, they’re already in the hall separate from the reception area.

“Marv.” Mendel says, placing his hand on Marvin’s shoulder.

Marvin looks at him expectantly, crossing his arms.

Mendel’s expression grows serious as he raises his eyebrows, “You’re gonna ask out Whizzer?”

 

Marvin groans, “Fuck, of course she told you.” He rubs his face with his hand, shaking his head. “Yeah.” He blinks, “Or, no. Fuck, I don’t know.”

“Why not?”

“Well, there are many reasons why I shouldn’t, Mendel!” Marvin exclaims, laughing angrily, “After tomorrow, we are never gonna see each other again, he’s still off fucking random dudes, I’ve got a job that needs me at the office for almost every god damned hour of the day and I’m not surprised they haven’t called me back to the office this week because they’re incompetent idiots and,” He sighs, “God, how can I go back into a relationship with him? That kind of life is so-”

“Happy?” Mendel asks.

Marvin stops and shakes his head, “I’m happy now.”

Mendel smiles, “Now you are. This week. Because you saw Whizzer. But I know for the past five years, you haven’t been.”

“Oh, and how do you know that, Mr. Psychology major?” Marvin sneers.

“You never contacted us, you haven’t mentioned any friends from Philly, so either you don’t have any, or you don’t like them very much.”

Marvin scoffs, “I just don’t overshare.”

“You don’t share at all. We don’t know how you’ve been doing these past years. All we know is that you have this cushy job that we already knew about when you up and left New York at graduation.”

“Fuck off, Mendel.” Marvin spits out, and turns away from Mendel. He walks away from the sorry excuse for a therapist.

* * *

Marvin traces circles onto the table’s surface with his finger. Couples dance slowly on the dance floor, holding each other tight. Marvin doesn’t watch, opting to stare at the table for however many hours there is left to this reception. 

He could leave now, undetected.

Mendel and Trina wouldn’t notice, too busy making out like teenagers in a dimly lit corner somewhere in the hall. Danny would never notice, Cordelia’s admonishment scaring him away from Marvin. Laura wouldn’t care, Marvin has only caused everyone pain. Cordelia and Charlotte might notice, but they are too wrapped up in dancing together as a married couple for the first time to care.

And Whizzer. Well, he might notice Marvin’s absence, muttering ‘good riddance’ to the exit of someone who fucked up the only good thing in his life.

Marvin could leave right now, go back to Philly and never contact any of these people again. 

He scoots his chair back abruptly and stands up. He turns to leave. Then, he flinches.

Whizzer.

“Hey.” The taller man says, standing in front of Marvin.

Marvin feels a lump in his throat, “Hey.”

Whizzer sighs and rubs the back of his neck, “Have you had anything to drink?”

Confused, Marvin shakes his head. “No.” He murmurs, “Why?”

“I,” Whizzer says, and licks his lips, “I was wondering if you wanted to dance.”

“You know I can’t dance.” Marvin says, heart beating quickly. He thinks back to Whizzer and he in Whizzer’s dorm room, when Whizzer tried to teach him how to dance. Remembers Whizzer laughing brightly as Marvin tripped over his feet. After that day, they declared Marvin a lost cause when it comes to dancing.

“I know.” Whizzer grins, “Want to anyways?”

Marvin nods.

Whizzer holds out his hand. And, after a moment, Marvin takes it.

Whizzer leads Marvin to the dance floor. 

The taller man turns around when they reach the middle of the floor. He lifts Marvin’s hands to his shoulders.

Then, he places his hands gingerly on Marvin’s waist.

And they dance.

They move on the floor, swaying gently. Whizzer hums to the soft music. Marvin smiles.

Whizzer glances down at Marvin. And, when Whizzer looks at Marvin. It takes Marvin’s breath away.

Marvin ends up scooting closer, wrapping his arms around Whizzer’s neck. And Whizzer’s hands tighten on his waist. Whizzer’s fingers slip under Marvin’s suit coat, digits pressing into the thin fabric of his shirt.

“When you look at me like that,” Marvin whispers, “I can’t breathe.”

“Funny,” Whizzer says back, “I can’t breathe when I look at you.”

Marvin feels his face heat up, and he looks away. Whizzer reaches up and guides Marvin’s head to look back at him. Marvin feels the words building up in him, admissions of years of love that he feels for the man holding him.

And, at any moment, someone will interrupt them. Mendel will call Marvin over. Or, Charlotte will ask for his help with something. Or something will break and Marvin will need to clean up the mess. But no one comes.

No one comes and Marvin allows himself to be pulled even closer to Whizzer. Whizzer leans forward, a question in his eyes. Marvin closes his eyes, and breathes in the air they share, lips ghosting over each others.

Marvin threads his hand into Whizzer’s hair and their lips connect as they sway back and forth to the music. 

It’s gentler than any kiss the two had ever shared, but Marvin feels his heart race as their lips slide over one another. He pushes himself closer to Whizzer, wanting to wrap himself up in the man forever.

Whizzer slammed Marvin’s dorm room door open, breathing heavily. 

Marvin flinched, pausing in his action of folding his graduation gown.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Whizzer exclaimed roughly, still standing in the doorway.

Marvin stayed silent, and continued to fold his gown.

“‘Delia told me.” He stepped into the room, throwing the door closed behind him, “You’re leaving? Just like that?”

Marvin places his gown into his suitcase, “It seems so.” He said.

“God fucking damn it, Marvin!” Whizzer shouted, walking up to him, “What about us?” He said, gesturing wildly between them.

“What about us?” Marvin repeated, glaring at Whizzer now.

Whizzer took a step back, eyes wide. “Are you breaking up with me?”

Marvin laughed humorlessly, zipping his suitcase shut. “I can’t really break up with a fuck buddy, now can I?”

“Fuck you.” Whizzer whispered, shaking his head. “So what, you got some fancy job and now you’re just abandoning this?”

“I have a future at this job. I don’t here.”

Whizzer swallowed thickly, “What do you mean?” 

Marvin looked away from Whizzer, eyes burning, “There’s nothing here. We have no future, Whizzer.”

“I thought we did.” Whizzer said shakily.

“Me too.” And with that, Marvin set his suitcase on the floor and walked out of his dorm room. Walked out of the room he stayed in for four years. Out of the room that he and Whizzer spent their relationship or the poor lack thereof in. The room Marvin fell in love with someone who couldn’t love him back enough to commit to him only.

And, as Marvin walked out, he looked back at Whizzer. Whizzer met his eyes, glaring hatefully at him, eyes glassy.

Marvin blinked a few times and looked away, walking out of the room forever.

Marvin breaks away from the kiss, breathing heavily. He stares up at Whizzer with wide eyes. Whizzer returns his look, confused at the loss of contact.

“We can’t do this.” Marvin breathes out.

“Marv,” Whizzer pleads, voice soft and confused. Marvin feels his heart shatter.

“This is a bad idea.” Marvin says, stepping back.

Whizzer’s hands remain at Marvin’s waist, and Marvin peels them off. When Whizzer reaches for him again, he swats away at the man’s hands and steps back again.

“Marvin.” Whizzer says.

Marvin looks up at the ceiling, the lights twinkling brightly. They seem less bright now.

He steps away, turning and walking away from Whizzer. He hears nothing behind him as he walks away. 

Every step feels like he is going to collapse. By the time he reaches the hotel lobby, he sees Mendel and Trina sitting at a couch.

Trina startles and looks at Marvin’s distraught form, eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m sorry.” Marvin says to her, voice shaking, “I shouldn’t have come.”

She opens her mouth to ask a million questions, but Marvin turns and walks to the stairwell. He ignores the sound of his name being called. He pulls his aching body up the stairs until he finally reaches his hotel room.

Marvin closes the door behind him and sits on the bed. He presses his eyes shut and a wrecked and exhausted sob escapes his mouth.

He balls up his fists on his thighs, willing memories of him and Whizzer away.

It’s useless. He thinks to their kiss, the gentleness of it. Whizzer’s hands pressing marks into his waist. Marvin hugging the man closer. Whizzer’s smile.

Is that why you left me? He remembers Whizzer’s words to him months ago. He remembers the pain in Whizzer’s eyes. He remembers the way Whizzer reached out for Marvin when he pulled away, only to be pushed away. He remembers how soft Whizzer’s lips were against his.

Is that why you left me? 

How could Marvin stay?

This trip was a mistake, a revisitation of Marvin’s past. And that’s all it would be. His past. 

Marvin can’t get back his college friends. He can’t get Whizzer back. He can’t get the feeling of happiness he had back. He can’t get the experiences back, only the memories which plague his life every single day. He wants to forget them all.

Wants to forget Cordelia’s smile and her bouncy dance when she sees someone she loves. Wants to forget Charlotte’s wit. Trina’s soft touch. Mendel’s advice. And Whizzer.

He wants to move past this. Go back to work. Find someone else at some gay bar in Philly and fall in love with them. Get married to them. Have kids. Grow old together. Mention a former fling from college to them over coffee at breakfast. Laugh about it. And then forget it.

But, it would never feel right, would it?

Marvin keeps his eyes shut, lip trembling. God, he’s such an idiot. Coming to this wedding was an awful idea. 

Then, he hears a soft knock at the door. 

He doesn’t move.

Eventually, the door opens and Whizzer steps in, closing the door behind him gently. He walks over to Marvin, hands clenching and unclenching.

Marvin doesn’t look at him. 

“Is it that easy every time?” Whizzer mutters, a tone of self deprecation in his voice.

Marvin doesn’t say anything.

“Is it really that easy to leave me?” Whizzer says louder. His voice sounds garbled behind tears.

“Why did you leave me?” Whizzer whispers, sending a dagger through Marvin’s heart.

Marvin shakes his head, “Whizzer-”

“Just tell me why you left me, and don’t give me that ‘job’ bullshit, why did you leave?” Whizzer presses on, “I just want to know why-”

“You left me,” Marvin shouts, standing up, “Every single time you-you left me.” His voice breaks.

Whizzer stares at him in confusion. Marvin wipes his clammy hands on his thighs and breathes heavily. The words fedl sour against his tongue, and he feels breathless from shouting.

“I went to your shows early. I showed up every single time. I listened to you explain photography to me for hours. I stayed with you every day.and… all it took was some dude at a bar and you went running, leaving me every night.” He says weakly.

Whizzer blinks, as if he was just remembering this. 

“Time and time again, I watched you lose all interest in me for some random at a bar. And it happened again, with Danny. It broke my fucking heart.”

Whizzer stays silent, mulling the words over in his head. Marvin’s hands shake violently.

“Marvin,” Whizzer shakes his head, “Danny? I never slept with him.”

“What?” Marvin says disbelievingly.

“God, that night I spent with him was just me telling him about you and I. I was a mess, and he comforted me, that’s it.” Whizzer says, and then sighs, “And those other guys in college were mistakes, I was an idiot.” He pauses, “It’s you babe, it’s always been you.”

Marvin looks up, trying to find the meaning behind the words. Whizzer looks back like he just told a joke, though the sadness in his eyes remain.

“Me?” Marvin asks slowly.

“You.” Whizzer nods, “Babe, I’m in love with you.”

And with that, Marvin’s entire defense crumbles. He breathes out shakily. And then he smiles.

“I love you, too.”

Whizzer smirks softly, “I was hoping for that response.”

And the two move to each other, connecting their lips again. Marvin sighs into Whizzer’s lips, grabbing a handful of the man’s hair. Whizzer grins into the kiss and wraps his arms around Marvin’s waist.

This time, they kiss without interruption. No memories to torture Marvin, no secrets.

Whizzer pushes Marvin forward, biting his lip and pulling, making Marvin sigh contentedly. The back of Marvin’s legs hit the edge of the bed and he sits down on the bed. Whizzer settles himself down on Marvin’s lap and licks his way into Marvin’s mouth.

They make up for lost time. They make up for the five years they spent apart.

Marvin moans into Whizzer’s mouth, and Whizzer’s laugh is muffled by Marvin’s half-hearted mumble, “Fuck you.”

“That’d be great, babe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go. We've only got one more chapter to go. We are about to end. 
> 
> PLEASE comment what you thought, I love comments so much they help me keep writing!!

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to send me asks or message me about this fic/anything, here's my [tumblr](https://courtroses.tumblr.com) and my [twitter](https://twitter.com/bwayobviously)!


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